Regina Taxi Study- final aug13 · A taxicab service should reflect the community’s desire for clean, efficient, and responsible public transportation service, one which meets the

Regina Taxi Study

By Tennessee Transportation & Logistics Foundation

TTLF

Ray A. Mundy, Ph.D

Tel. (314) 225-7039 Fax. (314) 516-7272 Email:[email protected] Website: www.ttlfconsulting.com

August 13th, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................2 WHY REGULATE TAXIS..................................................................................................................................3 REGINA TAXI MARKETS ............................................................................................................................... 5 GENERAL REGINA TAXI INDUSTRY STATISTICS ..................................................................................7 FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................15 COMPARISONS WITH OTHER CITIES ......................................................................................................19 INTERVIEWS WITH TAXICAB COMPANY OWNERS ............................................................................23 INTERVIEW WITH DRIVERS .......................................................................................................................31 REGINA AIRPORT...........................................................................................................................................32 FREQUENT USER SUVEYS ………………………………………………………………………………..38 SECRET SHOPPER REPORTS.......................................................................................................................47 SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS AND DISCUSSION .....................................................................................49 RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................................56

BROKER VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS............................................................56 CITY TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS........................................................................................57 VEHICLE AGE; DRIVER APPEARANCE AND QUALIFICATIONS........................................57 CREATION OF TAXI REGULATORY DIVISION........................................................................58 LABOR ISSUES.....................................................................................................................................60 FEES........................................................................................................................................................60 EXISTING DECALS.............................................................................................................................63 FUTURE TAXI DECALS & TRANSFERABILITY........................................................................64 PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.........................................................................................................64 REGULATION OF LIMOUSINES?..................................................................................................66

APPENDIX A: DETAILED EXPLANATION OF TAXI COMPANY TYPES…………………………...74 APPENDIX B: TAXI DEREGULATION RESULTS IN OTHER CITIES………………………………..79 APPENDIX C: REGINA SECRET SHOPPER SURVEY FORMS .............................................................83 APPENDIX D: ANALYSIS BY ACTUAL DATA........................................................................................146 APPENDIX E: MODERN TAXI DISPATCH SYSTEMS ..........................................................................154

REGINA TAXI STUDY

TTLF CONSULTING - RAY A. MUNDY, Ph.D.

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INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this report is to relate the findings and recommendations of a study contracted

by the City of Regina for the examination of taxi services within the city of Regina. The several

project tasks of this study were:

Phase I: Determine System Requirements and Current Situation

Meet with officials and staff to clarify project, request further data, determine study

requirements, and create lists of people and organizations to interview

Establish a taxicab study advisory board consisting of city licensing officials, police, and

representatives of major taxi users – airport, schools, and hotels.

Conduct comprehensive customer/hotel surveys/interviews with all stakeholders as

deemed necessary

Conduct Secret Shopper trials of all taxi companies serving Regina, Saskatchewan

Interview taxi dispatch company brokers and taxi drivers

Interview current taxi permit (decal) holders

Obtain dispatch data, both raw and electronic, from existing taxi operators to perform

service level analysis on existing taxi system at both peak and non-peak demand periods

Phase II: System Conceptual Design

Conduct in-house seminars with Regina Taxicab Study Advisory Board reviewing

current conditions and comparing Regina with other cities of similar size and situation

Provide several alternatives for discussion and consensus, building an appropriate “best

fit” taxi regulatory model for Regina to use in the future

Phase III: Implementation Plan and Detailed Design

Prepare detailed recommendations and implementation plan of the chosen alternative for

final approval

Prepare final report

Be available for public hearings and presentations as necessary

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This report will first discuss the rationale and necessity of regulating taxi operations within

the City of Regina; the current Regina taxi markets and company structures for the provision of

taxi services; the current environment for taxicab service, and finally, recommendations for the

future.

It should be noted that within the taxi industry references to taxi licenses, that is the license to

operate a taxi is referred to in several ways. In most cities they are referred to as a taxi medallion

due to the metal medallions that New York cabs are required to place on the hoods of their

vehicles for identification purposes. In other cities they are referred to as taxi “plates”. In some

cities they are simply called taxi licenses which gives rise to some confusion because there are

taxi driver’s licenses also. In this report we use a term supplied by city officials who simply

refer to a taxicab owner’s license as a “decal”.

Why Regulate Taxis?

The necessity to regulate taxi services within the Province of Saskatchewan and City of

Regina does not emanate from any mandate to do so. There is no legal responsibility prescribed

by the Saskatchewan Legislature that communities within the Province be required to regulate

taxicabs or any other ground transportation operations. However, Provincial government does

provide for its cities to license and economically regulate the provision of transportation systems

if city officials are so inclined and deem these regulations to be in the public’s interest.

One could argue that no economic regulation of taxis in Regina is needed. In fact, some

already have taken this position. They argue that open entry into the taxi industry should be

permitted once a person’s background is checked and the vehicle they intend to use is deemed

safe through a physical inspection. Indeed, limiting the number of taxi decals is an example of a

government intervening into the natural marketplace of supply and demand. Such governmental

intervention should be only utilized when it serves the greater public good. Therefore, one has to

ask is whether a limitation of supply of taxis in Regina is serving the greater public good, and if

so, how? This question was examined in light of the current Regina taxi structure, decal

ownership, and probable future of taxi services if supply is not limited. After careful

consideration it was determined that continued taxi decal restriction was in the public’s interest

for the following reasons.

The deregulation or open entry argument for community taxicabs is that citizens also

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need other generally available goods and services such as grocery stores, restaurants, car rental

firms, etc. They are not economically regulated, in the belief that competitive forces will bring

about quality operations and the best consumer prices if government intervention is kept to a

minimum – primarily the safety of the good or service. Why then is there the need to regulate

Regina, Saskatchewan taxi services? Such well-intended economic theories predict that, without

entry regulation for taxis, there will be many more taxis, fares will go down, drivers will earn

more income, and service will improve.1

However, as shown in Appendix A, these economic theories are not realized in the real

world, as has been shown time and time again in city after city. A deregulated, or open-entry,

approach to taxi services within a North American community of any size leads to unreliable,

expensive, and spotty taxi service at best. Some taxi availability is improved for evening bar

services, hotel or airport stands, but taxi dispatched or call service suffers greatly under

deregulation/open entry. Study after study has concluded that in all cases taxi fares go up – not

down; service gets worse, not better; and veteran drivers either leave the industry or work much

longer hours to make a living. In a city like Regina, where the vast majority of taxi service

depends upon dispatched calls, open entry of the supply of taxis would be an economic disaster

for the taxi industry and result in significantly poorer service. Like any good transportation

service, taxi services must be appropriately planned for, coordinated, and continually upgraded if

they are to attract and support the needs of the community.

As previously stated, the simple, but yet most effective, answer to the open entry

1 Note: The rationale for the regulation of taxis Regina does not necessarily include the need to support an ever

increasing taxi decal value. Taxi decals, or taxi medallions as they are commonly referred to, which have become a tradable commodity are just that, a commodity that relies on taxi regulations to both provide continued value of this commodity. If taxi regulations change, the value of this commodity can change dramatically. In a situation where open entry is decided as the future course of taxi regulation, decal values can plummet by 50 to 75% overnight. Thus, a driver that may have spent years holding and driving his decal, would find the appreciated value of his decal vastly reduced. Is this fair or right? A taxi decal, if deemed to be the tradable personal property of the holder, has both the opportunity to go down in value as much as it has the opportunity to increase in value.

This being stated, in Regina, the value of a taxi decal has appreciated greatly over the past ten years – increasing from around $30,000 to over $130,000 or more. This is reality, and the savings of many would be devastated should the supply of taxis be suddenly increased. Thus, as further taxi recommendations are made as a part of this report, care is taken to consider the impact of these decisions on the current value of taxi decals. The emphasis here is on “current” value – not necessarily the future appreciation value of these decals. If currently decal holders are adding value, then transfer prices could be maintained, but if they do not add value to the taxi system, then they may decrease in value. Taxi decal values, if relatively high, put enormous pressure on the efficiency of taxi operations. The current $1,000 to $1,200 per month lease rates of these decals represents an additional $33 to $40 per day a driver must pay to operate a taxi under this decal. Stated another way, when a taxi makes 40 trips per day, each user pays one dollar more for the decal lease which currently includes the decal and insurance provided by the decal holder.

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argument lies in the rationale that it is in the public’s interest to regulate taxicabs in Regina.

There is the social commitment a community has to both its citizens and its visitors that this vital

public transportation service will be available, safe, and economical to use. Rates are balanced

to protect the user not only from onerous or arbitrary fares but, at the same time to still yield the

taxi industry sufficient funds to compensate drivers fairly, brokers, if efficient, to continue in

business, and make a modest profit.

A final important reason for regulating taxi services, especially in the Regina area, is the

heavy reliance on taxi services by both residents and visitors. During winter months, most

Regina residents utilize this privately provided public transportation alternative to the private

automobile. Schools make maximum use of taxi service to avoid the cost of running and

maintaining large buses when only a few students are being transported.

Therefore, it is both the public’s need and its preference to have a modern, positive image

for its taxi operations. A taxicab service should reflect the community’s desire for clean,

efficient, and responsible public transportation service, one which meets the needs of all. Regina

does have a public bus system and a publicly supported access system for the transportation

disadvantaged. However, for many trips, and for those who are disabled or without access to

private automobiles and/or a bus route, a privately provided taxi is the only form of public

transportation available. Proper regulation of efficient taxi and limousine services is one way the

community can ensure that its citizens have reasonable and reliable access to these privately

provided public transportation services.

Regina Taxi Markets

Every community has distinct taxicab market generators. A few of these trip generators

would be the presence of a busy airport or urban residents who use taxis on a regular basis. Or

local residents who depend upon taxi services for emergency and occasional trips not easily

made on public transit. The presence of a large elderly, retirement, and/or a tourist population

who use taxi service for medical, social, and entertainment (dining out) activities also affects

overall taxi market demand. Thus, each community is somewhat unique in its various market

demands for taxi services.

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Within Regina however, taxi services are extremely important to the local users for

airport trips, shopping, medical appointments, eating out and generally getting around when an

automobile is not the preferred option or inconvenient. In winter months, similar to residents in

other Midwestern communities such as Winnipeg and Saskatoon, a taxi service is preferable to

many residents when traveling to and from the airport, going out for the evening, or simply

getting around. When temperatures are constantly dipping well below zero and vehicle heaters

need to be “plugged in”, in order to make sure the vehicle will start, a taxi is a preferable option.

There is also little appetite for standing at a bus stop waiting for traditional transit when

temperatures are subzero. All year round however, as noted above, taxi services are important

and frequently used options for visitors, tourists, and residents alike.

Also, with a greater emphasis on “going green” many residents are giving up a second car

or not acquiring one, preferring to use a taxi for a great number of trips they would otherwise

have made in their private automobile. While no official statistics are available in Regina, taxi

use penetration into the general population is probably similar to Winnipeg’s, at the fifty (50)

percent level. That is, fifty percent of Regina residents can be expected to use a taxi at least once

during the year. On a comparative basis this is significantly greater than most North American

cities.

Regina taxis have several demand points which generate a significant percentage of their

daily demand. Two of these sources would be the airport and the school trips. Another would be

public taxi and hotel stands where individuals can obtain taxi services without making a

reservation. However, the vast majority of taxi trips are provided through taxi broker dispatch

calls, airport and school trips. Thus, a taxi broker is essential in the scheme of taxi services for

Regina since it is the broker that arranges all of these trips either through their call/dispatch

center or contracts with school, individual accounts, and the airport.

As will be shown later in this report, Regina taxi trips are mostly short trips of a few

kilometers resulting with most fares being slightly less than $10. However, these short trips, in

the relatively dense areas of Regina proper, represent a large number of trips per day per vehicle

which are easily served with a minimum of deadhead mileage if coordinated through modern

GPS taxi dispatch systems. This creates a taxicab market for Regina taxi drivers that offers them

the potential to be highly efficient in their operations if they choose to do so.

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General Regina Taxi Industry Statistics

The following statistics describe the general Regina taxicab industry.

• Licensed drivers: 550

– With a company: 172

– No company listed: 378

• Active decaled vehicles: 120 regular decals plus 5 wheelchair accessible decals with

two additional accessible decals to be let by City

– 60 drivers own 66 vehicles

– Brokers (including Buffalo Cabs, Arch Transco, and D&G Taxi) own 2

vehicles

– Independent decal holders own 57 vehicles

• Vehicle Taxicab Owners Licenses (decal) Holders

– Drivers: 20

• Own their vehicles as well

– Non-driver owned decals

• Brokers: 5

– Van De’s owns decal and vehicle

– D & G owns decal; driver owns vehicle

– Arch Transco owns decal, independent person owns vehicle

– Buffalo Cabs

– Co-op Taxi

• Non-broker/Non-driver: 102

– Independent decal ownership with vehicle: 12

– Independent decal ownership without vehicle: 90

» Driver owns vehicle: 45

» Other independent vehicle owner: 45

From these general statistics certain things become obvious. The Regina taxi industry

would have to be considered one of the city’s larger employers with over 500 individuals

involved. Also, many Regina taxi decals are not utilized by an individual who owns his own

taxi and drives it. The two largest blocks of decals (Taxicab Owners Licenses), 16 for

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Buffalo Cab and 12 for Arch Transco Ltd, are managed under the trade names of Premiere

Taxi and Regina Cabs. Thus, active taxi brokers, including Van De’s and D&G , control 30

of the 120 regular and 5 accessible taxi licenses.

The vast majority of these annual taxi decals are owned by independents that neither

drive nor own a taxi. These individuals lease their City-authorized decal to either a taxi

company, who then subleases it to a driver who brings his own vehicle outfitted as a taxi, or

to an individual who outfits a vehicle as a taxi and pays a broker/taxi company for dispatch

and other services. This individual taxi vehicle owner may or may not actually drive the car

himself, but instead hire others to do this for him. Some of the decals are owned by

brokerages that no longer actively manage or operate as a taxi company. As such, these

decals are counted as owned by individuals that do not drive the taxis on which their decals

may appear.

A breakdown of this by specific active taxi companies is shown below.

Vehicle Age by Broker

One aspect of a community’s taxi service is the age and condition of the vehicles utilized

as taxis. As evidenced by the mailed surveys and Secret Shopper reports, Regina taxis are

usually clean both inside and out. However, from an appearance, efficiency and pollution

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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standpoint, these vehicles may not be the best fleet vehicles to utilize. Following are several

graphs depicting the number of regular taxis by broker and the ages of their vehicles.

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Average Age of Vehicles per Company as of 2009

8.98

7.07

12.00

7.17

14.00

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

CAPITAL CABS

2000

CO‐OP TAXI PREMIERE REGINA CABS VAN DE'S

ACCESSIBLE

TRANSIT

Years

Distribution of Vehicle Age in Years as of 2009

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

NEW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Age in Years

Nu

mb

er

of

Ve

hic

les

CAPITAL CABS 2000 CO-OP TAXIPREMIERE REGINA CABS

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Vehicle Age with Cumulative Percentage(all companies)

1.60%

34.40%43.20%

56.80%64.80%

75.20%

100.00%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

0 6 7 8 9 10 More

Vehicle Age in Years

Nu

mb

er o

f V

ehic

les

0.00%

20.00%

40.00%

60.00%

80.00%

100.00%

120.00%

Frequency Cumulative %

Approximately half of the Regina taxi fleet would be older than the maximum years

suggested for taxi operations by the largest taxi industry trade group in North America – the

Taxi, Limousine and Paratransit Association (TLPA). Their recommendation is that vehicle

older than eight (8) model years should not be used as a taxicab.

The utilization of older vehicles has a negative effect on fuel economy, pollution,

operating costs, and overall appeal of the industry’s product. Clearly, some older fleets such

as the Premiere Taxi’s fleet of upscale sedans with leather interiors can be well maintained

and have a professional appearance. The useful economic life of even these heavy duty

vehicles, however, is reached at or about 400,000 to 500,000 miles -- seven to eight years of

use as a taxi if purchased new.

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For other vehicles commonly utilized as a taxicab, such as the popular minivans, their

useful economic life is considerably shorter. However, since vehicles are being brought to

the Regina taxi system by mostly individuals – making individual choices on which vehicle

to use, the decision is often to purchase a 5 or more model years older vehicle with relatively

low mileage and to run it for as long as possible, though may involve significant mechanical

repairs over the years. There is no “fleet” manager to provide proper and recommended

maintenance and repair of these vehicles. Such variety has a damaging effect on customers,

that one trip they may be riding in a taxi only a few years old and on another trip they may be

riding in a vehicle that is twelve or more years old, with a drive train that may have 500,000

or more miles on it.

Driver Length of Service

A considerable amount of information regarding the relationship of drivers to brokers in a

taxi industry is the length of service drivers typically drive. Is the taxi company or broker

continually turning over new drivers or does the broker have a long term relationship with

their drivers and decal owners? Below are the results of this analysis for Regina taxi drivers.

Drivers per Company

172155

124

95

20

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

No Company

Listed

REGINA CABS /

PREMIERE TAXI

CAPITAL CABS

2000 /

DISCOUNT TAXI

CO‐OP TAXI VAN DE'S

ACCESSIBLE

TRANSIT

Drivers

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As one might expect, many drivers are weekend, or fill in drivers and do not affiliate their

taxicab drivers license with any particular broker. Further, for each annual taxi decal being

managed by a broker there are usually three drivers. This is because most of these taxi decals

and their taxicabs are being double shifted, meaning there is both a morning and evening

driver – each driving a twelve hour shift.

Average Length of Employment for

Current Drivers Through 1 Dec 2009

8.55

10.09

1.31

7.68

10.18

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

CAPITAL CABS

2000 /

DISCOUNT TAXI

CO‐OP TAXI No Company

Listed

REGINA CABS /

PREMIERE TAXI

VAN DE'S

ACCESSIBLE

TRANSIT

Length of Em

ploym

ent in Years

For those drivers affiliating with a broker taxi company, there is considerable experience

in their ranks. The figures presented above do not include drivers who have been driving for

less than a year nor those who show no company affiliation. In order to get a clearer picture

of the driver’s long term viability, these high turnover individuals are removed from the

database. This data by individual brokerage company follows.

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0

5

10

15

20

25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20Nu

mb

er o

f E

mp

loye

es

Length of Employment in Years

Distribution of Length of Employment in Years

as of 1 Dec 2009(Excludes Drivers with No Company Listed )

CAPITAL CABS 2000 / DISCOUNT TAXI CO-OP TAXI

REGINA CABS / PREMIERE TAXI VAN DE'S ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Nu

mb

er o

f E

mp

loye

es

Length of Employment in Years

Distribution of Length of Employment in Years

as of 1 Dec 2009

CAPITAL CABS 2000 / DISCOUNT TAXI CO-OP TAXI

No Company Listed REGINA CABS / PREMIERE TAXI

VAN DE'S ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT

In general this data represents a currently stable workforce of drivers with considerable work

experience driving a taxi in Regina – some with 20 or more years. However, it also shows a

large number of new entrants into the Regina driver ranks that have one year or less in their

operation of a taxicab in Regina. As evidenced by some of the driver interviews conducted as a

part of this study, many of these new drivers do not appear to have adequate knowledge of the

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Regina street network or an adequate command of the English language.

Framework for Analysis

Unfortunately, there is considerable confusion today as to what defines a taxi company.

The general public sees a car with a dome light on top, the name of some company on the side of

the vehicle and the letters “taxi”, and assumes that it has a meter, is regulated somehow, and that

there is a company in back of the service they are calling, hailing, or stepping into at the airport.

Taxi companies today can be, and often are, very different – even within the same community.

Regina, unlike other cities, has a small number of taxi companies (brokers) in its community –

all of which appear to be working at being good taxi companies with a long-run view of

providing good customer service.

A thorough knowledge of the Regina taxi service however, first requires some detailed

explanation of the types of taxicab firms found in North American communities in general. The

North American taxi industry can be perceived as a continuum ranging from a comprehensive taxi

firm to single independent taxi driver(s) acting as a taxi firm. At one end of this continuum, there

is an orientation toward the taxi company as the provider of service and at the other end is the

reliance on the independent owner-operator taxi driver as the provider of service. (Figure 1 below)

A detailed explanation of these taxi company categories can be found in Appendix A.

Figure 1

Continuum of City Taxicab Firms

Category 1 Total Taxi Firm

Category 2 Taxi Firm/Vehicle Lessor

Category 3 Permit and Vehicle - Only Lessor

Category 4 Permit Owner/Operator Independent

Category 5 Permit Only Lessor

Individual Driver Orientation

Taxi Company

Orientation

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As shown, this continuum of taxicab firms ranges from the total taxi firm which adds

significant economic value to the city's taxicab decal, down to a simple decal holder who drives

their own taxi or leases their decal a to the highest bidder who may provide a vehicle that they or

others drive. At the upper end of this continuum, the total taxi firm is adding significant value to

the community permit using their own employees or commissioned drivers which they hold

themselves out to manage. These firms typically take a long term view of their marketplace –

using resources to develop additional markets so more taxis can be added. They attempt to serve

their entire geographic market through modern dispatching technologies such as GPS tracking

and computerized dispatching the closest cab.

As we move toward the concept of the independent driver who owns his/her own vehicle

and/or decal (medallion) or drives for one who does, just the opposite view may be taken. The

orientation is typically short run – that day to make the lease cost of the vehicle first and then to

contribute to their income. Drivers work public stands and the airport if it is open forgoing the

cost of belonging to a dispatch system or feeling the cost of dispatch outweighs the value of the

calls they receive. If they do belong to a dispatch system, they will often make the economic

decision not to service the short trip which requires them to dead head away from the stand they

are on or they know the address is one who typically makes a short grocery trip. When this

occurs such as in an open entry or deregulated taxi systems, there is no taxi company or broker to

manage taxi service levels and the community inherits a much greater role in the management of

these taxi drivers on a day-to-day basis.

Unfortunately, most city taxi licensing or regulatory systems are set up as if we still had

either Category 1 or Category 2 full service taxi firms. As such, cities assume very little

management role of the taxi drivers at first. Unfortunately, many taxi firms or, in the case of

Regina, taxi brokers, completely change their methods of operation. First, by changing the

employee-employer driver relationship to that of an independent contractor driver – thereby

eliminating many government mandated employee costs; secondly, they find it less costly to not

own and maintain their own fleets; preferring to let others, including drivers assume the

responsibility for these costs.

Finally, while not yet occurred in Regina taxi operations, many taxi companies have all

but abandoned their marketing and dispatch functions Over time, cities and airports, through

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their responsibility for issuance of driver’s permits, vehicle inspections, daily citations for

violations of city/airport taxi ordinances, etc., they become the day-to-day management for the

community’s taxi operations. This framework is an appropriate template upon which Regina's

taxi firms can be placed.

Fortunately, four of the five active taxi brokers licensed by the Regina City

Administration would historically fall into Categories 2, and 3. There are three taxi operations

which have a separate business facility, provide radio dispatch services, and attempt to assist

most of their drivers in the marketing of their service through service contracts. The fourth taxi

broker Van De’s Accessible Transit operates a single wheelchair accessible vehicle and, while a

valuable and necessary specialized service, would not be considered a significant factor in the

supply of overall taxi service within Regina. His would be considered a special case of the

Category 5 taxi company.

As depicted, the City of Regina has not experienced the problems associated with such

widespread devolution of the taxi industry where cities and airports are required to assume an

extensive managerial role over taxi drivers. In these communities large regulatory agencies are

left to screen the driver applicants, issue driver permits, fine violators for not following the

operating rules, set the meter rates, vehicle ages and condition, inspect the vehicles, and

ultimately determine the economic conditions within which the taxi drivers operate. Regina taxi

operations could, however, devolve into this type of more fragmentation and a less responsive

service industry unless appropriate measures are taken to regulate service levels, encourage and

reward efficiencies, and support the quality of taxi operations.

Another, even more serious problem from taxi deregulation or service devolution, arises

when drivers realize they are receiving no real benefits from the fees they are paying taxi firms

or brokers for the permit to operate a taxicab. Lower insurance costs (mainly within the U.S.)

may be deemed as the only value of associating with a cab company if you work primarily the

airport and public cab stands. Even so, independent insurance can be obtained by many drivers,

so why not press the regulatory agency for your own independent (medallion type) taxicabs

permit? When this occurs and the regulatory agency allocates individual taxi permits to

individual drivers in an open entry system, complete fragmentation of the taxi industry occurs

and call service deteriorates significantly!

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It should be noted that Regina taxi firm, CO-OP Taxi, is as its name implies, operated as

a co-op through which its owners collectively support their company through a dispatch center

and otherwise attempt to carry out the functions of a full service taxi company. Capital Cab is

operated as a cooperative to a lesser degree, with drivers having considerable input into the

management of the operations. Finally, Regina Cabs/Premiere Taxi would be considered a more

traditional management structure, with the owners of the brokerage acting as management,

facilitating a few of their own decals but mostly managing other’s decals. Their drivers are,

much the same as in a traditional taxi company, offered a lease for the company’s dispatch and

other services. This lease may or may not include the use of a decal.

Individual investor(s) or stock ownership taxi company officials are typically interested

in growth through the addition of more taxis. Greater income through taxi leases is derived to

cover fixed costs of operation and profitability and is typically enhanced through growth and

expansion. Therefore, these owners and managers are motivated to add additional vehicles when

the company does not own the vehicles or the associated costs with putting them into service..

This type of ownership may have its faults when the supply of taxis out-distances demand for

taxi service and driver incomes suffer because of too few trips per vehicle.

Co-op forms of taxicab company ownership and management typically are not

participants in potentially oversupplying the taxicab market. Co-op owners, still driving and

deriving their living from their cabs, are typically not interested in adding additional taxis,

feeling they will only take trips away from them, and require them to work longer in order to

make the same income.

However, as one can readily imagine, with driver owned taxi co-ops, the opposite

problem of too few taxis to service demand can become a problem. Although additional drivers

would help defray a share of the common co-op costs, the fear is that these additional taxis will,

in the longer run, cause them to lose income. This situation is even more pronounced when there

is a significant medallion value attached to each co-op member’s taxi permit. The fear by co-op

members is that their medallion value will be significantly negatively affected if any new taxis

(additional let permits) are added to their co-op.

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Comparisons with Other Cities

As noted in the “Why Regulate” section, contained within Appendix B is a brief review

of the experiences of other cities in their attempts to regulate taxicabs with appropriate citing for

readers who may want to probe deeper into these collective experiences with taxicab

deregulation and/or open entry to the taxicab market. (Note that this appendix has been used in

other reports to inform readers of the academic literature surrounding the operation of urban

taxicabs.)

Unfortunately, most of these city comparisons involve communities much larger than

Regina, Saskatchewan and involve hundreds for taxis and numerous taxi companies within the

community. Every city is somewhat unique and its taxi situation is also more different from

most other communities making direct comparison difficult. However, TTLF has worked with a

number of medium sized cities with taxi fleets and companies similar in size to that of Regina.

Specifically, there are many similarities among the communities of Regina and Saskatoon

Saskatchewan, Salt Lake City, Utah, and, to a lesser degree, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Anaheim,

California. Each city has extensive use of taxicabs; they primarily have three taxi companies,

and serve primarily a call market rather than a stand or taxi rank market. Anaheim, California is

somewhat different, given the presence of a large amusement park and numerous hotels, which

represent the majority of their taxi business.

Saskatoon and Winnipeg face the same winter peak times as Regina does, thereby forcing

existing taxi operations to double-shift and provide enormous pressure to add capacity in the

winter months as Regina and Winnipeg have already done. Winnipeg has three taxi companies,

two of them larger co-op types - one with 154 taxis and another with slightly over 200 taxis.

Winnipeg has also utilized taxi decals or medallions which are individually owned, and may be

leased to drivers if the individual owner is not driving a taxi themselves. Winnipeg taxis, like

Regina’s, are heavily utilized – making as many as 30 trips or more per shift during winter peak

days.

After a comprehensive study by TTLF of their taxi demand, the Manitoba Taxi Board

adopted the regulation of data analysis procedures being recommended in this report, and further

adopted the recommendation of adding 80 more seasonal permits to their system. Since most of

their taxis were newer Toyota Prius vehicles, taxi vehicle age and condition were not a factor in

REGINA TAXI STUDY


20

the analysis and recommendations.

The City of Saskatoon’s size and taxi fleets are similar to that of Regina with one larger

taxi broker type firm and two smaller ones. They also utilize taxi decals which are individually

owned and leased to drivers if the individual owner is not driving a taxi himself. Currently, that

taxi system is under study by TTLF, so any comments would be premature but unlike Winnipeg

and Regina, they do not presently have a seasonal decal or taxi plate system in place. This

obviously creates tremendous public pressure to add taxi capacity during the winter peak season.

What Saskatoon taxi brokers do have, however, is computerized GPS dispatching and meter data

collection which will provide the City of Saskatoon with data to determine existing taxi

utilization by areas served and the need, if any, for introducing seasonal and taxi plates and

additional annual plates.

Salt Lake City is offered as an unlikely comparison city because of its situation of having

too many taxis on the streets and a severely deteriorated taxi system. However it is like Regina

in terms of size and number of taxi licenses – currently 220 taxis are offered by three taxi

companies – one large and two small companies. In this city, taxi service deteriation, age of

vehicles, embarrassment to the hotel industry, and inter-industry squabbling led their City

Council to recommend what some have referred to as the “Nuclear Option.” They decided to

recall all taxi plates and competitively contract their taxi operations utilizing a taxi franchise

approach developed for California cities of Los Angeles, Anaheim, Coachella Valley, and now

Santa Monica.

While taking several years to rewrite the city’s ground transportation ordinance and

prepare the RFP for taxi services, it appears the City of Salt Lake, Utah will soon let the RFP

which requests that there be two, three or four taxi companies each with a minimum of 50 taxis

in order to support the technology, reporting, and vehicle requirements of the RFP.

Although the RFP is for taxi franchise services, typically requiring vehicles no older than

five years, and utilizing alternative fuels, modern GPS dispatch, with handicap-user compliance

for a percentage of their proposed fleets as well as extensive quarterly reporting requirements,

there is no shortage of taxi companies – some international, lining up to provide a competitive

bid.

Anaheim, Coachella Valley (primarily Palm Springs, California), and now Santa Monica

REGINA TAXI STUDY


21

are mentioned as comparable smaller cities because they all either are or will be competitively

bidding their taxi services and are finding no shortage of taxi companies willing to provide

services in their communities even though the cost to do so in terms of technology, vehicle age,

driver requirements, etc., would seem unusually high by some in the taxi industry.

It has been the experience of TTLF researchers in conducting similar taxi studies in

North American cities of all sizes that whatever level the bar is set in these competitive bids for

taxi services, either for cities or airports, taxi companies have no problem in rising to these

standards. Rarely do they bid above the requirements of a taxi RFP, but somehow they find the

ability to meet and provide these community or airport requirements.

Taxicab Research History in Regina, Saskatchewan

Regina, Saskatchewan is a Central Canadian community of 200,000+ individuals, a

mature, growing community. Regina Airport officials have recently conducted a formal study of

its taxicab operations utilizing the consultation services of Hara & Associates. This

professionally conducted and comprehensive study focused mainly on the airport taxi service but

made numerous recommendations for future regulation of taxis at both the airport and the City of

Regina. Considerable data regarding airport waiting times for passengers and taxis; current taxi

activity at other than airport locations, etc., were collected and analyzed. The number of taxis

authorized to provide service in Regina was compared with other Canadian communities in

terms of population, airplane deplanements, etc. Among other recommendations, a sophisticated

taxi model developed by the consultants recommended that the City should add an additional 20

annual taxi permits.

Other than this study addressing the difficulties associated with the need for improving

airport taxi service, the City of Regina has not conducted a comprehensive study of taxi

regulatory issues for nearly 15 years. Prior to this time there were several audits and formal

studies but at no time was detailed operating data and systematic surveying of taxi users

undertaken. This may be because the City does not significantly regulate taxi services other than

setting fares and determining the number of taxi owner’s licenses, referred to throughout this

report as taxi decals. Thus, the City of Regina has been licensing taxi operations, but not really

regulating these services as in evaluating and managing the level of taxi services provided to the

City. The City, however, does have a well-developed traditional taxi ordinance which lays forth

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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the requirements for obtaining a taxi operator’s license, driver’s permit, insurance, operating

standards etc.

The City currently has five registered taxi “broker” companies which provide dispatch

operations for permitted taxi drivers operating under an annual city taxi decal. The exception

would be Van Dee’s single wheelchair accessible taxi operation. Decals are owned by former

drivers, the taxi broker companies themselves, investors, and some twenty current drivers. These

companies, in order of size of annual taxis dispatched are Regina Cabs/Premiere Taxi with a total

of 52 taxis. Capital Cabs with 43 taxis, and Co-op Taxi with 29 taxis. It should be noted that

each of these taxi brokers are authorized an additional 37 percent of their annual decals as

“seasonal” to dispatch for the peak winter months.

City officials are currently facing the typically difficult decisions of whether or not to add

additional annual and/or seasonal taxi decals, thus additional taxicabs into the Regina

marketplace. There has not been a significant number of additional taxi decals issued for over a

decade and there are critics of this past policy that accuse the City of providing existing decal

holders with monopolistic protection from competition by not increasing the number of decals.

Alternatively, taxi drivers, taxi brokers, and individual decal owners argue that additional taxi

decals would dilute the value of existing decals and driver incomes.

In addition, there are the related questions of how to add additional decals if necessary,

who should receive these decals, what taxi fares should be, what standards of performance the

City should expect of its taxi operations, and what form of regulations, if any, the City should be

involved in. Unfortunately, City officials have little guidance as to what is in the best interest of

the public they serve and hence, the need for a comprehensive taxicab service and regulatory

study.

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Interviews with Taxi Firm Owners

During December of 2009, interviews were conducted with the three Regina taxi firms

which had physical places of business and central dispatching operations. Following is a brief

description of the major taxicab firm facilities and their owners’ concerns.

Regina Cabs

Regina Cabs is the largest of Regina’s three taxi companies operating both Regina Cabs and a

fleet of upscale taxis referred to as Première Taxi. While each of these taxi companies has its own

telephone number and charge the same meter fare, they are both dispatched from a common

dispatcher.

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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Premiere TAXI

As noted previously, Regina Cabs would be considered a Category 2 to 3 type taxi company,

having ownership of some permits, owning a number of vehicles operated, providing dispatching,

credit card processing, extensive office facility which includes full time telephone receptionist(s) and

taxi dispatcher, a light repair facility, company offices, and marketing of taxi contracts for services.

Through a supplemental business and as a benefit for taxi drivers, Regina Cabs also operates a

commercial gas station at this facility which provides reduced fuel prices for their own and other taxi

drivers.

The Premiere Taxi line of taxis is of uniform color and similar make of larger domestic, full

sized cars – most with leather interior and substantially upgraded interiors – although the fare

charged is the same as the Regina City’s standard taxi rate.

Regina Cabs operates from a clean, modern, office system of radio dispatching taxis once calls

for service are received via telephone. Their system of dispatch is neat and orderly. As calls are

received, the call taker can look to see where cab drivers have reported their last positions and

availability to be. Once a call is taken; it is put out onto the broker’s radio waves for a driver to

accept. The first driver accepting a dispatch call is the one dispatched to make the pick up. This

system is quite old and requires considerable dispatcher capabilities to maintain knowledge of where

taxis are. It is also time consuming for the dispatcher to quiz the taxi drivers and make that

assignment.

Finally, it requires the call taker to more or less “guess” when the assigned taxi will arrive at the

customer pick up point. For this reason, taxi company telephone operators generally tell all

customers their best guess as to when a cab should arrive. Typically, call takers will estimate so

REGINA TAXI STUDY


25

many minutes for the downtown core such as 5 to 10 minutes and a longer time for outlying areas

such as 15 to 20 minutes.

The managers of Regina Cabs are concerned about the future stability of the industry with

respect to their ability to maintain revenues sufficient to attract drivers and meet the needs of the

traveling public. Some of this concern is due to the changing definitions and regulations being

implemented by the Provincial Highway Traffic Board for limousine type vehicles. Limousine

services are not currently regulated by the local city governments, but rather the Province’s HTB.

Currently, operating authority for limousines is not difficult to obtain. However, to be

considered a limousine service, one was previously required to operate a truly luxury vehicle. New

definitions by the HTB break this single limousine category into several component categories,

including “Black Car”, “Sedan”, and “Luxury” vehicles. The concern is that these new definitions

will permit competitors to enter the traditional taxi markets by offering services on a mileage basis

similar to the use of a taxi meter.

These limousine operations would, for all intents and purposes, be operating as a taxi without a

meter, thereby avoiding taxi regulations such as vehicle age, hours of service, physical condition and

safety of vehicles, inspections, and fees for local operating permits and the need for brokerage

services. These competitors would obviously have a lower operating cost and none of the 24/7/365

operating obligations of taxi operations. It is feared that these operations would “skim the cream”

from the taxi market such as airport and longer trips – leaving only the short trips, unusual times, and

difficult trips to be provided by taxi operations.

The owner/managers of Regina Cabs are also concerned with what they feel is a lack of access to

the airport deplaning market when the current concession operators’ (Capital & Co-op) cabs are not

at the stand and passengers want service. They strongly feel their cabs should have the right to pick

up when service is needed and there is no one on the stand.

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Capital Cab has its own telephone and dispatch operations as well as office space and

light maintenance in a single facility centrally located to the downtown area. The firm owns 15

decals and brokers 28 decals of other owners or owners who have leased their decal to a driver.

Currently, Capital Cab, similar to Regina Cabs, uses a common radio system for

dispatching calls for taxi services but has limited computer facilities for tracking calls and other

operations. For example, there are no records of trips per day per vehicle, areas of pickups and

drop-offs. However, the firm does operate and maintain a sizeable number of school, social

service agency, and corporate contracts, which are accounted for daily and billed monthly. As a

service to drivers, Capital Cab pays all credit card fares weekly, thereby carrying the cost of

these payments until invoices are paid.

In addition, Capital Cab has recently added electronic processing of credit and debit cards

for some of its taxis and plans are to expand this improved service to all taxis. This electronic

Capital Cabs

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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credit and debit card swiping system will therefore speed up the process of paying a taxi fare by

credit card but also provide the taxi driver relief from bad credit cards. Drivers will know

immediately if the card is good or not. Currently, all Regina taxi drivers who accept a credit card

do so at their own risk. Brokers or decal owners do not reimburse their taxi drivers for bad credit

cards.

Marketing of Capital Cab appears to be directed at securing considerable contract work

as a steady and readily available income source for their drivers, thereby providing stability of

earnings.

Capital Cabs

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CO-OP Taxi

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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The management of CO-OP Cab, specifically Mr. Singh, was extremely helpful to the

study, taking time to thoroughly explain their operations, future strategy for growth, and sharing

information regarding typical driver calls and overall activity. Following is a sample data from

one CO-OP morning driver. As shown, this driver’s average hourly revenue from metered fares

is approximately $25/hr. including estimated tips. This data would not include any non-metered

trips such as school or other off meter trips.

CO-OP Taxi

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CO-OP Daily Stats Overall Peak Non-Peak Average Daily # of Trips 21.5 23.5 20.2 Std Dev 4.3 4.2 3.9 Min # of Trips 9.0 14.0 9.0 Max # of Trips 32.0 32.0 30.0 Average Daily Revenue $237.75 $252.83 $227.32 Std Dev $ 43.73 $ 38.77 $ 44.25 Min Daily Revenue $ 88.09 $172.96 $ 88.09 Max Daily Revenue $330.05 $330.05 $309.70

CO-OP Avg Fare Average Trip Fare $ 9.60Avg Peak Months $ 9.37 Avg Non-Peak Months $ 9.79

Hourly Statistics Hour of

Day Average #

of Trips St Dev for #

of Trips Average Revenue

St Dev for Revenue

Average Peak Revenue

Average Non-Peak Revenue

5 1.0 0.0 $20.93 12.62 $19.84 $22.026 1.7 0.8 $21.19 9.95 $22.65 $20.127 1.6 0.6 $17.05 8.50 $18.43 $15.988 3.2 1.1 $34.10 11.70 $34.99 $33.499 2.6 1.1 $29.67 10.75 $30.62 $28.95

10 2.2 1.0 $24.97 11.76 $25.58 $24.5111 2.6 1.0 $29.49 11.56 $28.06 $30.4712 2.7 1.0 $27.82 11.65 $27.15 $28.3013 2.6 1.1 $26.87 11.01 $29.80 $24.8214 2.5 1.1 $27.43 11.61 $32.16 $24.0915 1.6 0.8 $17.71 9.07 $16.62 $18.54Average Hourly Revenue per Day $25.95 $26.84 $25.31

Unfortunately, none of the Regina taxi brokers have extensive computerized dispatching

and information systems for efficient management of their taxis. In these systems, dispatchers

can view maps of pickup and drop-off points and driver locations, thereby providing turn-by-turn

directions of where to go should a driver require the assistance. More advanced dispatch

technology today can link a customer’s address automatically to the GPS screen of the taxi

driver, thereby providing the driver with automatic turn by turn directions and saving

considerable time and providing the customer with a very accurate time of arrival automatically.

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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Such computerization also permits the taxi company to access the number of trips per

taxi, locations of their trip origins, and provide important managerial information on the number

of taxis needed on the streets, their best locations, and which cab is closest to the customer for

swift and accurate service. More importantly, such data, when reported to the city regulatory

officials, can provide demand-based decisions on fares and the appropriate number of taxis.

Driver Interviews

Interviews with taxi drivers were held at two locations within Regina. Since Capital and

Co-op Cab share the airport stand concession, a conference room was set aside within the airport

for individual and group driver meetings in mid-December, 2009. Drivers were informed

through their dispatch and by airport curb dispatchers that drivers wishing to speak to the study

interviewers could meet them in the airport conference room during this day. A second interview session of Regina taxi drivers was held at the offices of Regina Cabs.

In this meeting were approximately eight Regina and Premier taxi drivers – one of which was a

decal owner/driver and another former driver who was now a dispatch operator for Regina Cabs.

No owners or managers were present during these discussions.

In addition to these formal interview sessions, the study’s primary investigator, Dr.

Mundy, engaged in more than two dozen taxi trips during this study. During these trips, there

was an informal discussion about how long the driver has been working as a taxi driver – his

feelings about his job, and what would make the system better.

Generally, Regina taxi drivers did not complain about their jobs! They do indicate a

considerable drop in income from winter to summer months and most have recommendations for

improving their services, but generally, they feel it’s a “good” job - that one can make money at

if he/she is willing to work long hours. Several drivers who had driven taxis in other

communities commented negatively on the lack of modern taxi technologies such as credit card

swipes. Airport drivers were especially concerned that they were continuing to “eat” bad credit

cards, which they said happened frequently from the airport. Many felt electronic credit card

machines in their taxis would immediately check to make sure the card was good.

Some of the taxi drivers who had been in the business for a number of years offered

extensive suggestions on current problems and how the industry could be improved. They

suggested that the recently hired drivers did not all speak acceptable English and were unfamiliar

REGINA TAXI STUDY


32

with the Regina street network. The suggested that a better screening process and a formal

driver training program would help to keep this problem from getting any worse.

Regina Airport’s taxi system has been the subject of a comprehensive study recently

conducted by Hara & Associates that advanced several options and recommendations for

improvements in service. At the time of the study, the frequency and length of waits experienced

by arriving passengers was severe. Of those passengers arriving on peak flights, the Hara study

reported that 24% of the passengers experienced a wait time of 30 minutes or longer. Most of

the waits occurred at weekend and evenings and especially at the afternoon peak of 4 to 5

o’clock when passenger waits could extend to an hour or more. Also, the situation was worse

during the winter peak season.

Regina Airport

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As shown above, arriving airline passengers approach the taxi podium and request a cab.

The airport taxi coordinator will then look to see if there is an available taxi waiting just outside

the door (see taxi curbside line-up at the airport below) and if there is, escort the passenger(s) to

a waiting cab. If there is no taxi on the airport stand, then the taxi coordinator uses the direct line

telephones (see above) in back of him/her to call the dispatch of the two taxi companies with the

airport and requests a taxi, or several if there are others waiting. These taxi broker dispatchers

will put out the call announcing the need for cab(s) at the airport and wait for a driver to accept

the request for a taxi. If these taxi drivers are busy elsewhere or prefer to wait at their current

location, feeling they will achieve a better or sooner fare, they will not respond to the

dispatcher’s request for airport service.

Direct Taxi Brokerage Telephone Lines

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It should be pointed out however, that the airport taxi concession is for walk up or on-

demand taxi services and is not an exclusive for all taxi or limousine services. As shown above,

arriving passengers do have a choice to ask for an on-demand taxi or to call any other taxi,

limousine, or livery service to pick them up at the airport. Such taxi or limousine services are

available to all who desire them, so there is no such thing as a taxi monopoly at the airport.

There does appear to be reluctance by arriving passengers to consider a limousine

alternative to the taxi. This may be due to the luxury image of the waiting limousine shown

above. Oddly though, the cost of the luxury limousine downtown is probably no more than 10 to

15% more than the taxi fare. In addition, these limousines offer service anywhere in the

downtown area for $5.00, but currently appear to offer no serious competitive threat to the taxi

market.

There are also related problems among non-airport concession taxi drivers in that when

the non-concession taxi firm is called to the airport by the taxi coordinator (if none of the

concessionaire taxis are coming) these drivers are reluctant to cover the airport when their

REGINA TAXI STUDY


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brokerage does not have the concession. Also, some of these non-concessionaire drivers feel that

they should be allowed onto the airport taxi stand just the same as any other taxi stand in town if

cabs from the other competing companies are not on the stand. Finally, there was the complaint

that if they go to the airport and a fare has already been taken by a concessionaire cab that got

there before them; they are told to go away.

Such observations and gathered data led researchers for Hara to conclude that this severe

shortage of taxis was due to the inability of the two taxi firms to provide the services that had

successfully bid for the right to be at the curb and be the exclusive provider for airline passengers

wanting on-demand taxi services. Their rationale was that the largest partner of these two taxi

companies that had the airport concession also had a large school children contract, requiring

service by the majority of their taxis. As a result, they often neglected the uncertain business at

the airport for the certain business of the school runs.

Therefore, the major recommendation for the airport from this study was that the airport

should be opened up for all taxis in Regina to provide on-demand taxi service, thereby providing

(theoretically) more supply of taxis for the airport at all times.

Current Regina Airport Situation

The situation at Regina International Airport would appear to have changed over the past

year. New procedures, implemented by both the airport and the airport walk-up taxi

concessionaires, appear to have significantly reduced the number of passengers who wait for a

taxi and the duration of the wait times. These procedures involve estimating the number of taxis

the airport is going to need, given past loads of the flights and asking the concessionaire taxi

companies to assemble this number or more for the inbound flights. The concessionaire taxi

companies appear to also be using more encouragement for their drivers to “protect” their airport

market by going to the airport when needed by dispatch.

`Other informal positive measures the airport taxi coordinators are taking are to call

Regina Cabs (the non concessionaire taxi company) sooner when no other taxis are available and

guaranteeing them they will get the next available fare from the airport if they are called and the

passenger they were called for has already departed by another cab.

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As shown below, the passenger wait times greater than 15 minutes now is less than 2% of

those passengers forced to wait for a walk-up taxi. There are no passengers who wait more than

20 minutes.

Interviews with Taxi Operators

As can be seen from the table below, the number of times a passenger has to wait has also

been significantly reduced. As shown, arriving passengers experienced waiting 99 times in

March of 2009, or about 3 times per day. However, during summer months this falls to one wait

every two days. Thus, one would conclude that currently the airport taxi service availability is

good by North American airport standards.

2009 YT D Passenger W ait T ime

15-20 min2%

25-30 min0%

<5 min82%

>30 min0%

5-10 min16%

<5 min 5-10 min 15-20 min 25-30 min >30 min

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Total Instances of GroupingsJanuary to December 2009

78

59

99

56

32

41

22

15

32

53

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Month

Num

ber

of O

ccurr

ence

s

There is no reason to believe that the airport’s choice to utilize a competitively bid walk-

up taxi concession is not working as it does in other North American airports. In airports which

have continuing taxi service problems, it is the open stand concept that is often cited as the

reason service is poor. Without the ability of the airport taxi coordinator to call a specific taxi

company or taxi companies to have their taxis immediately get back to the airport for passengers,

the leverage of the airport is lost. Without the concession agreement, there is no taxi managing

company to guarantee that drivers will be available to cover the flights on weekends and

holidays. Clearly, aviation directors of North American airports would prefer to have a closed

taxi stand and a taxi management company to work with in order to obtain the required service.

It is the opinion of this consultancy that the airport should remain closed with respect to walk-up

taxi service as the best way to achieve and maintain timely taxi services.

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Having advanced the above opinion does not mean that non-concessioned taxi companies

and their drivers should be excluded from airport taxi services. Through active marketing, local

users of the airport can be informed of their rights and ability to call ahead and prearrange their

airport taxi or limousine service. Indeed, with the Provincial government’s, Highway Traffic

Board clearing the way for sedans to be classified and regulated as limousines, the Regina

International Airport can expect significantly more competition for airport trips by airport

limousine companies now composed of sedans – typically known as black car, gray car, or

luxury sedan service.

Regina Airport officials could utilize such relaxation of the definition of a limousine to

also put forth a competitive request for a walk-up limousine service for the airport. Such

competing ground transportation services are found at most of the Canadian airports and would

assist the airport in having additional vehicles available for hire during peak winter months and

various peak times of the day and week.

Frequent User Surveys

Sampling the public’s opinion in terms of the price, service, and vehicle appearance is

helpful in gaining an understanding about how they feel about the current taxi service, the

individual provider companies, and any concerns they may have for the future of taxicab services

within their community. However, individual local residential users are difficult to survey. A

general mail survey goes to a majority of individuals who never or seldom use taxis, and

therefore hold no attitudes based on a number of actual experiences.

In this study, mailed questionnaires were utilized to obtain opinions from frequent users.

Frequent users are those that have an occasion to call for and observe taxi services frequently.

Thus, the questionnaires were distributed to community service institutes, restaurants, and hotels

within the City of Regina.

Sampling method

The convenient sampling method was used in this study. Surveys were mailed with a

cover letter and a self-addressed stamped envelope for easy return. A total of 15 surveys out of

132 (minus 5 returned for bad addresses) were returned for a response rate of 12%. While the

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response rate achieved was low in comparison with other communities, it did provide a sampling

of opinions regarding local taxi service in the Regina area by individuals apparently using

taxicabs on a frequent basis.

Questionnaires

The questionnaires included several types of questions. The first part was asking

respondents to tell us which taxi companies they used most often. The second part included a

series of close-ended questions with attitudinal (order) choice. These questions were used to seek

their view of taxicab arrival time, driver professionalism, vehicle quality, and so on. The last part

consisted of open-ended questions asking respondents for any comments they may have

regarding their local taxicab service.

Regina Taxi Service Questionnaire Results

The following is a summary of the responses and rating local Regina taxi operations and

their companies.

Question 1: Which taxicab companies do you regularly call for service?

HOTEL RESPONDENTS:

Capital Cabs 2000 6

Co-op Taxi 7

Discount Taxi 1

Premiere Taxi 2

Regina Cabs 5

Van De's Accessible Transit 0

FAX/MAIL RESPONDENTS:

Capital Cabs 2000 8

Co-op Taxi 8

Discount Taxi 0

Premiere Taxi 4

Regina Cabs 7


ALL COMBINED:

Capital Cabs 2000 14

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Co-op Taxi 15

Discount Taxi 1

Premiere Taxi 6

Regina Cabs 12


As shown by these results, all three Regina taxicab companies (brokers) are utilized by

hotels and other frequent users of taxicab services. All three companies offer dispatch services

and appear to respond equally well to customer calls. If one considers the number of taxis

dispatched by each broker however, Co-op Taxi, with the smallest fleet does appear to be the

favored taxi firm from this group – being cited statistically more than its competitors when

adjustments for size are considered.

Questions 2-3: What is the AVERAGE/REASONABLE wait time for a taxicab to arrive at your establishment after being called?

HOTEL RESPONDENTS: AVERAGE % REASONABLE %

Less than 5 minutes 0 0% 1 10%

5-10 minutes 4 40% 5 50%

10-15 minutes 3 30% 4 40%

15-20 minutes 2 20% 0 0%

20-30 minutes 1 10% 0 0%

More than 30 minutes 0 0% 0 0%

FAX/MAIL RESPONDENTS: AVERAGE % REASONABLE %


5-10 minutes 5 36% 6 43%

10-15 minutes 5 36% 7 50%

15-20 minutes 2 14% 0 0%

20-30 minutes 1 7% 1 7%


ALL COMBINED: AVERAGE % REASONABLE %


5-10 minutes 9 38% 11 46%

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10-15 minutes 8 33% 11 46%

15-20 minutes 4 17% 0 0%

20-30 minutes 2 8% 1 4%


As shown by the responses above, the general response time experienced for taxi service

at respondent establishments would be considered good. Slightly over 70% of the respondents

indicate they can expect a taxi to arrive within 15 minutes or less after being called, and most

respondents felt this response time was reasonable. Given the size of the metropolitan area and

lack of major traffic delays, these are response times that one would expect from traditional radio

dispatched taxi operations.

However, as has been shown in other Canadian cities such as Winnipeg, with GPS

dispatching, these response times can be made even better. Data analysis of GPS dispatched

taxis in Winnipeg revealed that 70% of the taxi trip pickups were made within 10 minutes of the

dispatch call. Just as impressive was the achievement of approximately 30% of taxi trips being

picked up within 5 minutes of the dispatch call. Admittedly, these were mostly within the

downtown area and Winnipeg has a somewhat more dense downtown area than Regina, but the

resulting decrease in deadhead miles driven due to GPS dispatching is impressive. (Deadhead

miles are those miles driven when the taxi is en-route to a pick up.)

Question 4: How would you rate the taxi service you presently receive?

Hotel Respondents Fax/Mail Respondents ALL COMBINED

Promptness 3.5 4.2 3.9

Answering phone 4.1 3.6 3.9

Courtesy 3.7 3.7 3.7

Driver Appearance 3.2 3.6 3.4

Willingness to pick up 4.5 4.4 4.5

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Handling complaints 3.3 3.6 3.5

Vehicle Appearance 3.8 3.8 3.8

Credit Cards 4.2 3.8 4.0

Affordability 3.7 3.7 3.7

5 = Very Good 4 = Good 3 = Okay 2 = Poor 1 = Very Poor

As shown by these responses, there appears to be the general feeling that taxi service is

“okay to good” on all attributes. Driver appearance (most likely dress) was the lowest rated

attribute – especially by hotel personnel. As shown by responses to the open-ended question at

the end of the questionnaire, hotel respondents pointed out that the taxi drivers were in customer

service industry and that appearance was important. Thus, the average rating of just “OK” for

driver appearance was common.

Question 5: Do you find taxi service to be significantly different during peak season (winter) versus off-peak season (summer)?

Yes % No %

Hotel Respondents: 8 73% 3 27%

Fax/Mail Respondents: 10 71% 4 29%

ALL COMBINED: 18 72% 7 28%

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Question 6: Is it important for your guests/patrons to be able to use credit cards for taxi service?

Yes % No %

Hotel Respondents

:

10 100% 0 0%

Fax/Mail Respondents

:

7 54% 6 46%

ALL COMBINED:

17 74% 6 26%

Question 7: Do you arrange other forms of transportation (limousine, shuttle, etc.) for your guests/patrons?

Yes % No %

Hotel Respondents

:

9 82% 2 18%


:

5 36% 9 64%

ALL COMBINED:

14 56% 11 44%

COMPANIES MENTIONED: Casino Shuttle (6), Custom Limo/Transportation (6) ARRANGEMENTS: phone (11), several mentions of Casino Shuttle "direct" line in lobby – a free shuttle offered to Casino

guests and employees

One attribute of poor taxi service in a community is the extent to which alternatives are

sought by those arranging ground transportation for their guests. As shown by replies to

Question 7, 80% of the hotel respondents arrange for specific ground transportation services or

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feel the need to operate their own services. In general, this response indicates the current

providers are doing an adequate job of satisfying traditional taxi demand for ground

transportation service but that hotels have a need for a broad range of ground transportation

services to offer their quests.

Question 8: Do you know whom to call if you have a problem with taxicab service? If yes, whom do you call?

Yes % No %

Hotel Respondents

:

3 27% 8 73%


:

5 36% 9 64%

ALL COMBINED:

8 32% 17 68%

7 stated that they would call the taxi company 1 stated that they would call the city 1 stated that "no one will help you if there is a problem"

Question 9: Please list any comments you would like to make regarding Regina taxicab services.

Hotel Respondents:

+ - n/a # Comments 1 1 at times I find that the service aspect towards our customer and towards the staff is lacking. I think that some

companies, drivers, etc. need to realize that our guests especially in our downtown core are not the same clients that they pick up on a saturday night at 3:00 a.m.

1 4 would be more professional looking if drivers wore uniforms 1 5 certain times of the day and evening are impossible to get cabs. Worst case scenario -- not answering the phone,

ring and ring and ring, then answer with immediate hang up. Early morning, missed time, cabs previously booked -- late night service, weekends (friday and saturday) awful.

1 6 one concern I have is during peak hours (early a.m. and late fri/sat nights) it takes forever to get a taxi or for someone to answer the phone, no matter which company is called. Often I have to call two or three companies and wait 30-45 minutes for a cab to come. This is worse in the winter.

1 7 condition of cabs poor -- appearance of drivers poor -- when a cab is called for a guest of room number, the cab will still take the next customer and not wait for person that order cab

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1 8 I would like to see the wait time significantly reduced during special events, peak time and late night. I personally feel as a whole that the City of Regina does a remarkable job of posting the event, however, our transportation is the weak link.

1 9 different cabs, companies taking other people's guests and then blaming front desk -- sometimes rude about waiting times.

1 10 there is not enough taxi licenses in Regina -- in fact there is less than half the number there should be.

1 11 all in all the service is fine. 1 7 1

11% 78% 11%

Fax/Mail Respondents:

+ - n/a # Comments 1 1 the only concern with taxi service is on peak times and the service from the airport. Could airline not ask how

many cabs are needed at the end of each flight and communicate that number to the consierge so that sufficient cabs would be available?

1 6 we use Capital Cab for our staff at late hours; they are prompt and courteous; [they] look after our staff and members very well

1 7 cabs are a real problem during big events or later at night; you just can't get one in Regina when you need it; being put on hold for a cab is brutal; this city should have more cabs

1 8 we advertise Zero 8 cab service to patrons…a car service that drives you home 1 12 fairly efficient due to small city size; pre-booking taxis works well for us; difficult times 8:00-9:30 a.m. and 12:30-

3:00 a.m. 1 14 we stopped using Regina Cabs when they would not come and pick up two female managers at 3:00 a.m

[Respondent also circled Premiere Taxi and Regina Cab on question 1 and wrote, "No Way."]

2 2 2

33% 33% 33%

ALL COMBINED:

+ - n/a 3 9 3

20% 60% 20%

Question 9 represented an opportunity for respondents to provide any written comments

regarding Regina’s taxi service and taxi companies. These comments are broken down into

positive, negative, and neutral comments. It would appear to be internally inconsistent that the

same respondents would rate their taxi service as OK to Good on most attributes but be very

detailed and even sharp in their specific criticisms – 60% of the comments were rated as being

negative – some very much so.

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Some responders, especially those with an unfortunately poor service incident, refuse to

use a particular taxi company. This only serves to point out that one incident of being rude,

disrespectful, or insulting to a customer – especially a customer in the hospitality business, can

damage the goodwill and good services provided by over a hundred other drivers and dispatchers

associated with that taxi brokerage operation.

What clearly stands out from these written comments is the need to improve driver

appearance for the benefit of the hospitality industry and the taxi drivers themselves. Overall,

these comments indicate a concern for the need of good taxi service but yet, in comparison with

other communities, not a general level of frustration that current operations need to be replaced

by more responsive and newer taxi operators. This is not always the case when questioning

frequent taxi users in other communities.

Survey Comparisons Among Cities

Below are the responses to a similar questionnaire in several other communities. As

shown, Regina respondents rate their taxi service better than their counterparts in other

communities. However, it should be pointed out that these other communities were having their

taxi services reviewed because many felt major changes were needed in their local taxi industry.

Secret Shopper Reports

In order to augment data from mailed surveys, individual taxi company data analysis, and

taxi dispatch information, mystery shoppers were employed to randomly call Regina taxi lines to

request a cab, determine the time required for the cab to arrive, take a trip, and report on the

Service Dallas OrlandoMiami One

Miami Two

Winnipeg Salt Lake Regina

Promptness 3.5 3.4 3.8 3.5 2.8 3.6 3.9Answer Phone 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.7 2.9 3.7 3.9Courtesy 3.0 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.7Appear/Driver 2.7 3.6 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.4Willingness 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.6 3.2 4.2 4.5Handling 2.7 3.3 3.3 3.1 2.7 3.5 3.5Appear/Vehicle 3.3 4.1 3.7 3.5 4.0 3.4 3.8Credit Cards 3.3 3.6 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.7 4.0Fares/Costs 3.1 3.1 NA NA 3.5 NA 3.7

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quality of their taxi experience. These mystery shoppers were engaged to take 30 trips during

December of 2009 and January of 2010. Reported in Appendix C are their experiences,

average ratings, and trip write-ups.

Mystery shoppers are useful for gathering unbiased opinions as to what customers of

local taxi services experience in a normal day when using these services. They are not typically

generalizable to the entire population unless a clear and obvious pattern is evidenced by the

majority of the mystery shopper reports. However, the written descriptions of services received

is often quite revealing to city officials and company owners.

As shown by this data, mystery shoppers experienced no difficulty in using Regina’s

telephone dispatch services to obtain taxi services. Most of their calls were answered promptly

and, for the most part, pleasantly.

The mystery shoppers were instructed not to take all trips out of the central business

district, or any one area. Thus, this data also reflects observances of individuals in outlying and,

in some cases, low density areas – but within the service area of Regina, Saskatchewan taxis.

There are also observations taken at peak day and evening (bar closing) hours.

As one can see from these reports, all three taxi companies, were consistently relied upon

to provide service at all times of the day or night. For the areas the calls came from, service was

adequate, within expectations, in generally clean vehicles, and credit cards were not a problem.

Driver dress however, was commented on in several instances.

Because secret shoppers tend to be viewed somewhat subjectively, individual readers of

this report are invited to glance through Appendix C in order to obtain a “feel” for the level and

type of taxi services Regina citizens experience on an average day.

Secret Shopper reports indicate a responsive taxi industry within Regina with competent

telephone answering services, mostly clean but aging vehicles, and generally good drivers.

However, hotel and other frequent user surveys made note of considerable difficulty in obtaining

service during peak times – especially during winter months.

Interviews with taxi brokerage company personnel indicated that they feel they are

reasonably meeting most of their customers’ needs but that at peak times, customers should

understand that a cab is not always available. Dispatchers also noted that not all cab drivers were

willing to accept some dispatches, those that would require considerable deadhead miles or be a

short trip.

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Generally, one would have to conclude that there are a lot of positive things about

Regina’s existing taxi services. There are three full service taxi companies that are attempting to

provide comprehensive taxi services which include dispatching, credit card processing, corporate

vouchers, contract business with schools and other agencies. The current holders of the Regina

Airport on demand taxi concession, Capital and Co-op Cab, appear to now be protecting their

concession by being more responsive to the airport taxi coordinator’s call for more taxis when

needed. Finally, Secret Shoppers felt in general they received good taxi service - from the

telephone call takers to the drivers themselves.

Summary, Observations, and Discussion

On the negative side, analysis of the vehicles and dispatch technologies utilized by

Regina’s taxi industry indicates they were considerably out-of-date. Older vehicles and much

older dispatch technologies were the norm. Many taxis were 10 or more years old and several of

the taxi fleets lacked any continuity in the types (and even the colors) of the cars that were placed

into service as taxis. Newer vehicles and a common type of vehicle type per fleet would be far

more efficient, less polluting than the older taxi vehicles now common on Regina’s streets, and

provide a vastly improved taxi image for several of the existing taxi companies.

Woefully inefficient radio dispatch technologies from the 70’s were also in use by all

three of Regina’s taxi brokers. Modern GPS based taxi dispatch technologies, computerized

phone reception and record keeping have made the taxi industry much more efficient, effective,

and customer oriented. Computerized call taking allows repeat callers to be recognized by the

computer on the first or second ring. Such is very helpful to hotel clerks, and restaurant

personnel that have to make frequent calls for taxi services.

Computerized dispatching is extremely helpful to the taxi industry when it is coupled to

GPS in the taxis. The computer can provide the trip for closest car, phone ahead to the user to let

them know that their driver will be there in two minutes and to go to the designated pick up point

such as the south side of the building facing Jefferson Street, for example. Along with automatic

credit card swiping, and turn by turn directions possible with GPS digital dispatching, the driver

saves considerable time, the service is improved for the user, thereby improving the image and

quality of the cab service.

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A computerized GPS taxi dispatch system, along with a in-vehicle camera designed for

the taxi industry, provides the driver with significant safety protection in the event he/she is

attacked or robbed. By having a panic button on the GPS dispatch system, the driver can alert

the dispatcher silently that he is in trouble and his exact location. That information can

immediately be given to the police and broadcast to every taxi close to the driver in trouble. The

camera acts as a follow through by making it easy to prosecute felons for attempted robbery/

battery or both.

Of course, GPS dispatching is only effective if taxi drivers accept the computerized

dispatch when offered. Drivers, who are working as independent contractors, often feel they

have the right to accept or reject any broker’s request for service if they do not like the trip that is

being offered. Such reluctance, for sure, is reasonable when a driver may feel personally

threatened by the location of the pickup or the destination requested. Such respect for a driver’s

judgment needs to be respected in the industry. However, in cases where a driver simply doesn’t

feel like taking the trip – preferring to wait on a better one, this discretion should be

overshadowed by the individual’s need for a taxi in the shortest time and distance possible.

Thus, GPS dispatching works best when computerized dispatch calls are treated as any street hail

or first in line at the airport or hotel stand. The driver is the next in line (in the GPS example, the

closest to the pickup or the one that has been in the zone the longest and closest to the pickup)

and he/she is the one who takes the trip. A more detailed description of such taxi dispatch

systems, their costs, and examples from leading supplier can be found in Appendix E: Modern

Taxi Dispatch Systems.

Other problems associated with the introduction of these modern technologies to the taxi

industry is that decal owners, brokers, and individual vehicle owners will argue that they just do

not have the money to invest in these technologies or that vehicle or decal owners will simply

not buy these technologies for their vehicles. True, these digital computerized dispatch systems

were typically very expensive and aimed at larger taxi fleets of 200 or many more vehicles.

However, their cost has come down considerably and several well known vendors offer lease

payments that can be had for about $100.00 per month or $25.00 per week per taxi. If a taxi is

operated 14 shifts per week, this represents less that $1.78 per shift.

An analysis of driver activity and gross incomes, on the other hand, reveals that Regina

taxis are very busy and generate significant revenues per day. While there is typically a broad

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range of what any two taxi drivers may take in on any given day – individual Regina taxis range

from an average low of $400 per day to an estimated high of $600 per day or greater when these

taxis are utilized in a double shift system in peak winter season. Driver interviews confirm that

this range is realistic but individual income depends upon how hard the driver works his shift,

how well he knows the market, and how willing he is to take all calls to stay busy.

Without detailed demand data – the type being recommended in this report – it is difficult

to more accurately state the number of trips per shift and hence, typical gross revenues generated

by the Regina taxi drivers. However, data presented in the recently completed Hara Regina

Airport Study would appear to support these estimates through their counts at taxi stands and

overall estimates of taxi activity.

Most taxi firms which adopt computerized dispatch technology are able to decrease

deadhead miles of their fleets by up to 15%, or more thereby saving driver fuel costs daily.

Drivers spend less on fuel and get to their pick up points faster which also improves customer

service – a win-win for both the driver and the customer. Customers also like the “call ahead”

feature of computerized taxi dispatch technology which phones them when their taxi is within

two minutes of arrival – again a win for the customer and the driver in making pickups easier and

less waiting for both. Busy restaurant and hotel personnel also like the quick computer answered

calls and generated estimated time of arrival for the taxi assigned to make the pick up. This both

saves them time and provides greater information to their clients.

Modern GPS based computer dispatch also vastly improves driver safety by letting

authorities and other drivers know immediately where to locate a driver when he/she hits their

“panic” button. This reduced response time could save a driver’s life or prevent physical harm.

It will also help to make robbing a taxi driver a one-way street to jail.

The reduced driver waiting time alone from GPS modern taxi dispatch systems could

increase average daily gross revenues of drivers by 10 percent or more during winter months

when they are already extremely busy. In just reduced driving miles alone, this investment will

pay for itself but the increased customer service times and amenities have the potential to

increase overall taxi business as Regina taxi services become more punctual and professional.

With respect to the city licensing and regulatory activities, it was observed that the City of

Regina’s present involvement with their taxi industry is that of a taxi licensing bureau with little

overall regulatory oversight. In addition, current fees charged by the City for services provided

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to the taxi industry and drivers does not appear to adequately cover the office costs associated

with these activities.

Finally, the City of Regina provides the annual renewal of a piece of city property, the

individual taxi license, for $180 dollars, while the market value of these licenses is now

reportedly up to as much as $150,000. Whatever the trading value of these taxi decals, they all

typically command a monthly rental (taxi license lease fee) of $1,000 per month.

As previously shown, these decals have generally ceased to be driven by drivers who add

value to the license, but rather they are held by speculators who derive monthly income and

anticipate appreciation of these licenses in the future. As such, this practice puts extreme

pressure on the ability of taxi brokers (unless they own the license) and drivers in the form of

ever increasing lease payments for the use of the city license. Finally, it puts pressure on the

entire taxi system to raise rates in order to provide greater revenues to all members of the taxi

system – drivers, brokers, taxi vehicle owners, and decal (license) holders.

Driver Safety

Technology also has a role to play in taxi driver safety. While Regina taxi drivers have

not experienced the level of robberies, assaults, and even deaths of fellow drivers in other North

American cities, the time to stem any rise in these activities is now. Individuals in the

community need to know that the fastest way to spending time as a guest of the province in one

of its jails is to rob a cab driver. In order to do this, drivers need to be protected from random

acts of violence.

Within the industry, taxi driver safety is enhanced through several methods. One is to

shield the driver from passengers through a partial shield (surrounding the driver’s seat only) or a

full partition shield which protects the front compartment of the vehicle where the driver is from

the back seat where passengers typically ride.

Other driver safety methods are much less intrusive and they include a simple panic

button which the driver can hit when he or she is in distress. This will cause all the lights and

horn of the vehicle to be activated and blinking on and off. As previously mentioned there is

also the panic button which is tied to the GPS dispatch system which immediately alerts the

police and all other drivers that a taxicab driver is in trouble and exactly where he/she is.

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Finally there is the use of on-board cameras within taxicabs which may not seem like

much of a physical deterrent when compared to shields, but if police and city follow through

with aggressive prosecution of offenders, they become very effective. As one might expect,

there are arguments as to which method or methods are most effective against crimes against

taxicab drivers.

Each has its drawbacks. Shields, especially full partition shields create a cage

atmosphere for the user making the taxi trip more than just slightly uncomfortable. And, in

Regina, it is quite common for taxi passengers to step into the front seat instead of the back

thereby defeating any full partition shield. On the other hand, the partial shield surrounds the

driver making his or her work environment extremely cramped and uncomfortable. Finally taxi

cab shields have been utilized mainly on large sedan vehicles. Their application on the newer

smaller vehicles utilized as taxicabs only worsen the feeling of being in the back of a police car.

Panic buttons are extremely useful but are always after the fact and may cause

altercations between the police and the criminal with the cab driver in the middle. It is for these

reasons that taxi on-board cameras have become one of the most effective ways in combination

with silent panic buttons, to protect the taxi driver and lead to prosecution of the criminal.

Passenger Safety

Residents and visitors alike trust local authorities in North American cities to

scrutinize individuals that drive public vehicles such as taxicabs. Individuals driving taxicabs are

to be of good moral character and clear evidence of the driving abilities. This typically translates

into a review of the individuals’ background through a criminal background check and into one’s

driving ability by way of a motor vehicles record check.

As mentioned under the Regina Taxi Market section of this report, most of the Regina

taxi drivers engage in school work, transport senior citizens, and provide considerable service to

the disabled community. Therefore, taxi drivers would unquestionably be classified as

individuals in “Positions of Trust” dealing with vulnerable people.

This distinction is important when it comes to setting standards for Regina taxicab

drivers. Police authorities must be able to conduct a full background check on individuals

applying to drive a taxicab. The same would be true for an adequate driving background check.

Knowledge about the Regina street network, driving rules, and regulations would require a

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minimum of six months to a year of experience to fully understand and transport passengers with

complete safety. Therefore, it is being recommended that new applicants for a taxi driver’s

license in Regina have a minimum of two years living experience in Canada and a minimum of

six months driving experience in Regina.

It could be argued that high standards for Regina taxi drivers may be an impediment for

recent immigrants of individuals with previous minor offenses be they criminal or driving

offenses. In some cases, recent immigrants may not have documentation about their past or

driving record which can be readily checked thereby eliminating them as potential drivers. This

may be true and there would thus be a conflict between the governments stated interest to

integrate immigrants into the workforce and the desire to thoroughly screen people who are to

have positions of trust when dealing with vulnerable people.

Such personal and background checks may also impose additional problems for Regina

taxi brokers and taxi decal holders to obtain qualified drives. However, in the interests of public

safety, protection of the Vulnerable Sector, and long term interests of the industry itself, such

standards should be upheld. Decal lease holders may have to adjust the offered lease rate in

order to obtain qualified drivers but the taxi system of Regina will be better for it.

Forms of Taxi Regulation

Just as was discussed earlier as framework from which to view different taxi company

types, there are also a number of ways that one can regulate taxicabs. These ways can also be

viewed as a continuum from just licensing taxi companies and drivers to that of a comprehensive

regulatory structure that controls market entry, exit, fares, mergers, operating and reporting

procedures, and labor arbitration.

The type of taxi regulation should be derived from the philosophy and strategy city

officials have decided to follow in this regard. Do city officials want to permit the private sector

to manage the taxi services under broad standards of service, preferring not to become the

personnel department for city taxi drivers, or does the city want to use their taxi operations to

achieve social objectives such as minority ownership, livable labor wage rates, service to

minority areas, service to transportation disadvantaged, or clean air through all electric taxi

vehicles for example.

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Of course the decision is not one or the other but mostly some combination of various

activities between these two extremes. Should a community desire a private sector orientation

but desire solid standards of performance then it needs to design a system of taxi regulation that

manages through data indicating whether these standards are being met or not. Taxi drivers are

screened with respect to appropriate background, driving experience, and local knowledge but

training and day-to-day management of their activities left up to the taxi companies. Otherwise,

leave the taxi companies flexibility in meeting and developing taxi service demands. This level

of taxi regulation would be considered “Light Regulation”.

Moderate taxi regulation would involve such things as more extensive training of taxi

drivers, on street supervision, disciplining of drivers – becoming the personnel department of the

taxi companies since they argue that the drivers are independent contractors and they have no

control over them. Other moderate regulation activities may include more financial reporting by

taxi companies, involvement in lease disputes, and greater and greater detail with respect to what

vehicles may be utilized for taxis, alternative fuel use requirements, or specifying driver dress.

Heavy taxi regulation would be complete managerial and financial control over the taxi

companies and drivers with respect to entry requirements, lease charges to drivers,

minimum/maximum hours of service, driver discipline by the city, driver expulsion by the city,

and extensive operational and financial reporting by the industry. Usually the setting of driver

leases by type of vehicle such as that of the New York Taxi & Limo Association (the regulatory

arm of New York City) is a good indication of heavy taxi regulation. Another might be the

specification by the City of Orlando that one of their taxi companies serving the city be minority

owned, one has to be female owned, another West African owned, etc. – the use of the taxi

company or driver permit as an instrument of local city social policy.

Public Cab Stands

A final observation about Regina would be the practice of selling metered parking spaces in

high traffic areas such as in front of hotels, to private taxi companies to create taxi stands. These

stands look open to any taxicab from any company and for the most part, they usually are. When

a taxi of the firm that has purchased and paid the City of Regina what an approximation of what

the metered spot would bring in yearly, is not on the stand, then any other taxi driver feels free to

get onto the stand. If a driver from the owning taxi firm should appear, then the non-owner

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would generally move off since, after all, his/her company has not paid for the privilege of being

there. While this has been a traditional custom for many years in Regina, newer drivers may or

may not care to honor such customs and problems have ensued.

A far better system would be to make these stands truly public cab stands open to all taxis

on a first come basis. In order to do this, annual taxicab decal fees would have to be raised to

cover the cost to the city of giving up this parking space revenue but it would be a far more

equitable system. This marginal increase in all taxicab decal fees would be collected as they are

now but internally transferred to the parking division of Regina. Unlike an airport where a

specific number of taxis are needed for specific flights, these general parking stands are occupied

when there is no call to take are a better place to park while waiting on a fare. Some drivers and

decal owners may argue that their taxi never uses these stands but one can honestly argue that the

stands are part of the taxi system hardware of the community set up for the taxi driver’s and

user’s benefit so it needs to be paid for equitably.

Recommendations:

The following recommendations are being made as a “package” that is intertwined. They

are heavily related and form a recommended policy of light taxi regulation for the City of

Regina. For example, some recommendations require financial improvements to the industry but

such may only be possible if there are economies of scale and reduced dead operations as a result

of these improvements.

Broker/Vehicle Technology Requirements

All Regina taxi decal holders, brokers and taxi vehicle owners should be required to

upgrade their taxi dispatch technologies to current industry standards including GPS, computer

based dispatching, electronic credit card in-vehicle processing, and extensive data management

for regulating their industry.

All Regina taxi brokers, with the exception of Van De’s Taxi, should utilize these new

technologies to report quarterly on all taxis dispatched, including but not limited to, the number

of all meter trips by vehicle, by driver, by time and date.

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All taxi decal holders should be responsible for equipping a taxi utilizing their license

with technology compatible with dispatch technologies selected by the broker which is

responsible for dispatching of their taxi(s).

Each taxi broker with the exception of Van De’s Taxi should provide a plan to the City

within 120 days from approval of this recommendation for how they intend to comply with this

technology requirement. This plan is to be approved by the City.

All taxi drivers approved for driving a taxi within Regina should accept GPS closest

computerized calls from their broker’s dispatch just the same as they accept hail or stand calls.

In addition, each taxi vehicle driven on the streets of Regina should be equipped with an

on-board taxi camera to record pictures of everyone entering and leaving the vehicle.

City Technology Requirements

Just as the taxi brokers must update their data processing abilities, so must the City of

Regina. Currently taxi broker, driver, and owner data is maintained by the City on spread sheets

and various Access data bases. The City needs to develop a comprehensive and historical data

base management system for the regulation of its taxi and other ground transportation systems.

While not overly expensive, such data based management systems for the taxi industry can be

expected to cost approximately $25,000 spread out over a period of years.

Vehicle Age; Driver Appearance and Qualifications

All vehicles utilized in the Regina taxi industry should be no older than 8 model years old

in 2011, 7 in 2012, and 6 by 2013. This will apply to all new vehicles placed into service.

The City should grandfather some of the current taxi vehicles which do not meet these

specifications but are inspected to be in roadworthy condition, for up to two years, thereby

giving the industry some time to phase in these age requirements. However, under no

circumstances should any vehicle utilized as a taxi operated after January 1, 2012 be permitted to

be 12 or more model years old.

Each taxi broker and its drivers should develop a dress code that identifies that driver

with the company. This dress code is to be approved by the City. Such a dress code need not be

a uniform but that each taxi broker enforces a city requirement that each taxi driver have a proper

customer appearance representing the taxi company they are driving for.

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Each new applicant for a taxi driver’s license in the City of Regina should be required to

have a minimum of two years driving experience in Canada and a minimum of 6 months driving

experience in the City of Regina.

Creation of Taxi Regulatory Division or Board

The City of Regina should expand their Licensing and Municipal Fines Branch into a taxi

regulatory division with “light” regulations - basing decisions upon “data” provided by taxi

broker companies. Using an existing structure within the City’s existing organizational system,

this Taxicab Regulatory Division could be set up as a Departmental Consultative Committee

with quasi- judicial powers to administer the taxicab regulations if so delegated by City Council.

Alternatively, this Taxi Regulatory Division or Board could be set up using an expanded city

staff with two voluntary advisory groups reporting to it – one representing the industry and

another representing frequent user groups. In this scenario, neither the taxi industry nor its

customers would have direct decision power concerning City taxi regulatory activities.

The City of Regina should also employ two additional personnel as street staff to carry out

the added duties of this Taxi Regulatory Division/Board. These duties would include current

licensing duties but also have on street responsibilities which would:

o Ensure that all taxi vehicles are properly inspected, have current legal

decals, and that drivers are properly approved and authorized by the City.

o Enforce taxi operational bylaws of the City with respect to vehicle age,

driver dress, and vehicle physical condition.

o Ensure driver safety and prosecution of driver assaults and attempted

robberies.

o Collect, analyze, and report quarterly taxi broker service reporting data to

the Taxi Regulatory Divison/Board.

o Develop and test street knowledge, English, and taxi operating rules for

new taxi license applicants and existing drivers who have been referred for

reexamination.

This testing program would need to be developed for and approved

by the Regina Taxi Board and should consist of three parts;

Conversational English, detailed knowledge of Regina’s street network,

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and rules of taxi operations from training manual developed for the taxi

industry through a grant from the ICG in 1999. It would be the applicant’s

responsibility to learn the material contained within this training manual

with or without the help of the Regina taxi broker companies.

This Regina Taxi Board or Division should consist at a minimum the following

members:

o Manager of Licensing & Municipal Fines

o Director of Fire & Protective Services

o Member of City Council

o Regina Police Service

Either as functioning members of the Board or as a Demand Advisory Panel

Representative from Hotel/Motel/Visitor’s Bureau

Representatives from Public and Separate School Systems

Regina Airport Authority Representative

As a Supplier Advisory Panel

All Taxi Companies

All Taxi Brokers

The duties of this Taxi Regulatory Division or Board, in addition to those already

performed by the City, consist at a minimum of:

o Awarding regular and seasonal taxi decals

o Determining taxi fares

o Handling customer complaints unresolved at the broker level

o Reviewing all taxi decal lease and taxi vehicle agreements for clarity, proof of

receipt for all monies paid, and terms without setting individual lease rates.

o Reviewing the operational and safety aspects of the city’s bylaws dealing with the

operation of taxicabs and limousines and making appropriate changes by majority

vote whenever necessary.

o Reviewing and recommending taxi industry technology including but not limited

to vehicles, dispatch technology, meters, in vehicle cameras and other driver

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safety devices and making appropriate changes by majority vote whenever

necessary.

o Acting as an advocate for increased consideration of taxicab access and city

planning for its transportation needs

Appeals of decisions made by the Regina Taxi Regulatory Division or Board, with the

exception of bylaw amendments which will go to City Council, should be made directly to

the General Manager of Community & Protective Services.

Labor Issues:

Taxi drivers will often make compelling arguments that there are numerous labor

irregularities within their taxi system. Items such as a lack of receipts for monies paid, fees

which are not part of an approved lease agreement, etc. are proper matters for a Taxi Regulatory

Division to look into. However, most other matters should be turned over to provincial labor

authorities to determine if any “labor” laws are being broken. The proposed Regina Taxicab

Regulatory Board is a regulatory board, not a labor enforcement board.

The Board’s position can and should be that if a licensed taxi or limo operator is found to be

in violation of a local, provincial or federal labor law, then they are not in compliance with their

city license since it requires them to comply with all such laws; hence, the driver and the license

holder should be required to undergo a show cause hearing as to why his/her license should not

be terminated. It is not the job or duty of a Taxicab Regulatory Board to investigate labor

claims, as they do not have the manpower or expertise in such matters. Nor should such claims

determine whether an operator is fit and worthy unless they are found in violation of existing

labor laws.

Fees Fees for taxi licenses, driver permits, and enforcement should be increased to cover all

costs associated with the establishment of the Regina Taxicab Board and additional personnel

necessary to carry out its functions.

As indicated above, it is recommended that the cost of Regina’s light regulation be borne

primarily by taxi decal holders. There is a market equilibrium operating here, with the taxi

driver at the bottom of the chain. Currently taxi decal lease rates to the drivers are set at a level

that will entice someone to both own and drive the vehicle or to simply drive the vehicle.

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However, if the lease holder can obtain greater revenue by leasing the decal to someone else or

to another broker, then he/she will do so in the long run. There is no incentive for the decal

holder to lower the cost of their lease if they can still have someone drive. This is what

economists refer to as market equilibrium.

If additional costs of owning a Regina taxi decal are increased due to technology and

light regulation requirements, then one could argue that decal holders would simply force these

additional costs down to the drivers. However, economic sense suggests that this could not be

the case unless drivers are willing to pay more for the opportunity to drive. It would also say that

the decal holder is not in market equilibrium - currently pricing his lease too low and thereby

allowing the driver more income than necessary to keep him/her driving. This is probably not

the case! Therefore, it is my belief that these costs would not be forced downward on the drivers

but rather assumed by the decal holders.

An alternative approach may be that decal holders will demand a taxi fare increase to pay

for the recommendations of this study. This is certainly something that the City may consider,

but unless the TRD has data upon which to make sensible rate decisions, there is no basis for a

rate increase. Otherwise, the argument by the decal a holder is, “My profits are going down so I

want the public to pay more”.

The City could rightly argue that the recommendations are for the good of the industry

and the public; new GPS technology will make taxi operations more efficient; newer equipment

and better dressed drivers will attract more business; computerized invoicing and billing will

mean faster revenue collections; drivers will no longer have to sustain losses from bad credit

cards; calls to taxi dispatch will be handled faster and more efficiently; additional service can be

added when data reporting shows a need; and taxi operators will be protected from illegal

operations by on-street code enforcement. The taxi industry would have an advocate within the

city to include them in bus lanes, special venues, and other planning for transportation. Finally;

that Regina taxi users should not have to pay unreasonably for decal lease rents charged by taxi

decal holders.

The decal holders are also benefiting from the recommended process in that the City of

Regina is tacitly recognizing the right of existing decal holders to continue to renew their decal

without a determination if they are personal or city property. Thus, present decal holders gain

“stability” in their decals and banks may now be able to loan against these decals. Overall this

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will also assist the migration of these decals to drivers and active brokers as they are sold off at

some time in the future.

Therefore, it is recommended that the primary increases in light taxi regulation be phased

in over two years by adding an Licensing & Municipal Fines (LMF) field officer the first year

and, if necessary, a clerk to process all the data requirements and provide secretarial services to

the TRD. The current hourly wage for an LMF officer is $20.10 per hour or approximately

$41,808 per year in direct salary. Applying overhead and anticipated operating expenses, the

total annual cost of this individual would be approximately $52,608 per year.

Currently Regina taxi decal holders pay $180.00 per year for an annual or seasonal decal

- an asset that grosses approximately $1,200+ per month. If this additional cost of $52,608 for

the LMF Officer cost were spread out over the 126 annual decal holders and 44 seasonal decal

holders, the additional cost of an annual decal renewal would rise from $180.00 per year to

$538.00 per year for annual permits and $358.00 for seasonal decals. 2

The current average hourly wage including benefits for a Licensing & Municipal Fines

Control Clerk is $17.25 per hour or approximately $ 36,800 per year. Using the same 1,512 total

months as found in Footnote 2 below, this would calculate out to an additional $20.86 per decal

per month or a total of $250.00 additional fee per annum for annual decals and $125.00 for

seasonal decals.

In total the annual fee for a Regina taxi decal rises from the current $180.00 per yearly

renewal to $968.00 ($180 + 538 + 250) for an annual decal and $ 663.00 ($180 + 358 + 125) for

a seasonal decal. These fees per taxi decal would be slightly higher when compared to other

cities. However, as mentioned below under a discussion of limousine regulations, other cities

often spread their regulatory costs over more than just taxicabs, thereby lowering the average

cost per taxi. The same would happen for Regina should limousines be brought under local

regulatory authority with respect to enforcement of minimum fares. It should be mentioned that

as additional seasonal and annual taxi decals are added, the average cost per taxi could be lower

in the future.

2 This analysis assumes that the 126 annual decals are utilized for 12 months or a total of 1,512 months (12 x 126) and that the 42 seasonal decals are utilized for 252 months (6 x 42). Together this represents 1,764 months divided into $52,608 which equals $29.82 per month. Thus, 12 months at $29.82 per month equals $358. Added to the current $180, this would sum to $ 538.00 per year. For seasonal decals this would represent a total fee of $358.00 per renewal.

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Additionally, the current practice of giving seasonal plates to existing taxi companies

which then lease them out to drivers at the going market rate may be altered at some time in the

future to capture some of the value of the monthly lease rate per seasonal plate. If, for example,

the City of Regina were to charge a seasonal lease rate for these decals of $500 per month to

individuals or taxi companies that wished to use them, the revenue from these forty-four decals

for the six winter months would be $132,000. This would be nearly the cost of the additional

personnel, thereby allowing the renewal fee for annual decals to be significantly reduced.

Other fees that need to be addressed by the newly formed TRD are fees for yearly

inspection of the taxi vehicle, new driver permits, yearly renewals, vehicle transfers, and meter

seals. Full vehicle inspections for example, require time to set up, physically do the inspection,

and then fill out associated paper work. In total, and officer will spend at least an hour handling

all these activities. However, the cost of inspections is only $30.00. Given that the average

direct salary of an officer is approximately $20.00 per hour, then with an overhead burden of

75%, the minimum cost of an inspection would be $35.00. Should there be paperwork issues or

things that are cited in the inspection that need to be fixed, the cost per inspection would be even

greater.

Similar analysis needs to be performed on those activities enumerated above to determine

just how much of an increase would be required. As with vehicle inspections however, the full

costs of these fee required activities should be developed through a procedure using actual total

time for a random sampling of these activities, and a formula to determine the cost, yearly. The

recommendation is for yearly due to the nature of most organizations to put these incremental

cost decisions off until they represent a significant and newsworthy percentage increase. Yearly

adjustments are a way to avoid these issues.

Should the City of Regina decide to issue any new seasonal or annual city taxi decals,

instead of requiring the low renewal rate, then these fees could be used to decrease the annual

renewal fees for existing decals. Similarly, if more transportation vehicles such as limousines

are brought under city regulations, the average cost of renewals may be decreased in the future.

Existing Taxi Decals

A final set of recommendations for a taxi decal transfer is that (1) all existing taxi decals

are transferable only to individuals who add value to them either as an active broker or an

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owner/driver. An active broker would be one who owns and manages a full service taxi

company. Both of these entities add value by either driving the vehicle or providing a market for

the decal. Thus, over a period of time, even existing decals would migrate to drivers and brokers

as they are sold and transferred. An additional recommendation, (2) is that the minimum number

of decals required for a taxi broker be 25.

A minimum taxi broker size is necessary in order for the broker to afford the technology

and central dispatching but not so large as to prohibit an entity from starting a new taxi

brokerage if he/she can convince 25 or more decal owners that he/she can provide a better deal

than their existing taxi brokers. This approach to open entry for brokers permits competition to

be very much present in the Regina taxi market but limits the total number of taxi operations to

the actual demand, as evidenced by the brokers’ reporting of activity.

Future Taxi Decals & Transferability

Future taxi decals issued by the Regina Taxi Regulatory Division (TRD) should be issued

on the basis of industry-supplied data on current utilization of all seasonal and annual taxi decals.

Within one year from the date of adoption of these recommendations, the TRD should have

considerable industry data from which to decide if and how many additional seasonal decals

need to be issued. As a broker’s fleet is reaching it maximum capacity of 25 to 30 trips per

shift/per taxi, then the ability to add additional vehicles and drivers may be requested.

All future decals, seasonal and annual, should be awarded by lottery to current drivers or

brokers with two or more years of taxi driving experience in Regina.

These additional decals should be awarded for no longer than a five-year period, to be

renewed annually as long as the original driver or broker continues to be a primary driver

averaging 5 days per week or if a broker, actively managing the taxi on the streets for five or

more days per week. As previously mentioned, this would apply to both seasonal and any new

or additional annual decals.

Owners and drivers of additionally awarded decals should be required to affiliate with a

broker who has requested additional vehicles and drivers as evidenced by their current trips per

taxi/per shift data to the Licensing and Municipal Fines Branch. Once a decal owner has

affiliated with an existing broker, it is anticipated that he/she would remain with that broker for

the duration of the decal award. Should their conditions change dramatically, these additional

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decal owners can and should petition the Regina Taxi Regulatory Division for the ability to

transfer to another broker.

It makes little economic sense for the City of Regina to continue its historical practice of

renewing any new winter of annual decal for $180 per year when their monthly lease value is

$1,000 or more. Thus, the TRD would need to establish an annual lease rate for these new five

year non-renewal, non-transferrable decals. The rate would not be comparable to existing decals

since they are transferrable but even a rate of $500 per month for annual decals would be

considerably less than the current market rate for leasing a decal. Such lease fees would help to

reduce the overall cost of TRD administration.

All sales and/or transfer of controllership of existing Regina taxi decals should be

approved through and by the Regina Taxi Regulatory Division. The TRD should not be involved

in setting transfer prices, but such transactions should be approved and recorded by the TRD as

going to a current driver Regina taxi driver with two or more years of Regina taxi driving

experience. Should an experienced driver not offer to purchase the decal, then taxi brokers

would be permitted to purchase the decal.

Phased Implementation

As with any set of recommendations to significantly change an industry, everything

cannot be done overnight. These recommendations should be phased in over a period of two

years after approval by City Council. It is recommended that the official starting date for these

taxi industry recommendations be January 1, 2011. Some of the recommendations can be

initiated immediately and set up within six months. These are:

Taxi broker’s plan for acquisition of recommended technology & cameras

within three months of adoption by City Council

Department’s plan for adding two new personnel

Implementation of new lease and driver fees to support light regulation

Investigation of new software for replacement of City’s taxi database

begins

Recommendations to be required after six months

Establish a Regina Taxicab Regulatory Division or Board

Vehicle age requirements

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Driver dress requirement

City approval of license transfer All new drivers are screened for English

competency and City knowledge

TRD establishes procedure for a driver lottery for up to nine new seasonal

plates

Recommendations to be required after one year

Taxi brokers have modern dispatch GPS based technology & cameras

installed in vehicles

Department’s added two new personnel

TRD receives first full data reports from taxi brokers

Drivers required to treat dispatched calls as hails when on duty and not

engaged

Regina Taxicab Regulatory Division or Board is fully functional

City’s new taxi software is implemented

Recommendations implemented within two years

Fully compliant with vehicle age requirements

Annual and seasonal taxi plates allocated through TRD data management

system

Annual review and adjustment if necessary of taxi fares

A final set of recommendations regards the future limousine industry of Regina. Due

to the competitive nature of sedan type limousines with that of taxicabs, care should be taken to

ensure that limousines are not operated as taxicabs without a meter. The following discussion

covers the pros and cons of limousine regulation by the City of Regina and makes a final

recommendation with respect to the appropriate level of regulation the city should take with

regard to taxi and limousine competition.

Regulation of Limousines?

The broader definitions of the term “limousine” and greater restrictions adopted by

the Saskatchewan Highway Traffic Board in their approval of Saskatoon’s United Cab’s

application, add clarification and definition to what often is an overly broad category of ground

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transportation for-hire. However, these revisions to the HTB’s definition and safety regulation

of new classes of limousines can and would have a material effect on the size of the future

Regina taxicab market.

It would appear to be the intent of the HTB to ensure the safety and proper licensing of

these new classes of limousine operations from a Provincial level. For most of the communities

in the Province of Saskatchewan, there is probably no need to enter into any form of economic

regulation of limousines. This would permit local users in the marketplace to decide by their use

or non use how many limousine companies and vehicles they wish to support. Through trial and

error, individuals within smaller communities can allow the marketplace to act without

governmental interference or regulation.

However, in the two larger metropolitan areas of Saskatoon and Regina, each with

significant taxi operations, there is the need to permit these communities to regulate at least the

minimum fares of all types of limousine operations. Such minimum rate regulation would be

necessary in order to provide the adequate protection that limousine carriers can not act as

taxicabs without a meter.

The Cities of Saskatoon and Regina are vested with the authority of regulating taxicabs

and other transportation systems. The Cities Act grants the City of Regina jurisdiction to pass

bylaws for city purposes with respect to transportation systems, should it wish to do so (Section

8). There is no requirement in this governing legislation that the City of Regina regulate taxis or

limousines, however. In many other Canadian cities, we see that this regulatory authority and

intent has also included limousines and vans.

Elected city officials have the broad mandate to regulate taxicab transportation “in the

public’s interest.” As in the case of Regina and Saskatoon, this general set of prescribed powers

includes the ability and authority to control, regulate and license owners, brokers, and drivers of

taxicabs. Such regulation typically takes the form of entry regulation requirements, prescribing

fares to be charged to the traveling public and establishing overall standards of performance by

the authorized carriers and their drivers.

Typically, the most involved component in local transport regulation is that of taxicabs.

Due to the need of private for-hire transportation to be available at all times of the day or night at

reasonable rates, taxicabs are traditionally heavily regulated with respect to market entry,

metered fares, vehicle types and equipment, and driver behavior. This mode of ground

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transportation is considered to be a “common carrier” form of transportation available to the

general public. Taxis are required and permitted to offer “on-demand” services by being

dispatched from a central dispatching office, waiting at a hotel or airport cab stand, or in some

communities, by street hail.

Within Saskatoon regulations, however, taxicabs are narrowly defined as:

40. “Taxicab” means a vehicle which is employed in the conveyance of passengers for hire except ….(v) a vehicle approved for use as a limousine by the License Inspector.

However, the repeal of Bylaw No. 8073 on January 21, 2002, requiring the License

Inspector to supply a license with tag, would appear to have removed limousines from exemption

from the definition of a taxicab. Thus, some type of clarification would be necessary if existing

taxi regulations were to be expanded to include minimum limousine rates. In Regina’s

regulations there is no specific definition of what a taxicab is and is not, so clarification would be

required here also.

Generally, taxi service is the only form of regulated ground transportation that is

permitted to offer “on-demand” service. It is felt that the public’s interest is best served by

standardizing this form of ground transportation service through the use of taxi meters that

charge the legal and lawful rate to the traveling public. These fares are, in almost all

communities, required to be visibly displayed on the exterior of the vehicle so all prospective

users may see. In this way users will always know what the fare will be before entering the

vehicle. Typical also is the requirement that these vehicles, and only these vehicles, be identified

by unique color schemes and display a lighted dome fixture that indicates they are a taxi for hire.

Also typical is the reliance of the general public upon the taxi regulating authority to

enforce standards within the industry by regulating fares through meter inspections, safety of the

vehicles through vehicle inspections, and driver integrity through background checks. In many

locations, such as an airport, hotel, cab stand, or on the street, passengers expect to be treated

fairly and receive roughly the same quality of service at the same fare by taking the first cab in

line. The general public is relying upon the regulating authority, in this case the City Councils of

Saskatoon and Regina, to have done all this for them and to keep unlicensed operators from

operating as “on-demand” taxicabs.

Limousines, on the other hand are generally considered to be “contract carriers”, whereby

the user enters into a contract for service with the limousine company. There is the assumption

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that the vehicle is contracted for a specific trip, occasion, or time period, prior to the actual event.

Prom nights, weddings, special occasions, etc., are the typical traditional services offered by

limousine companies. Only in a few cases, such as at a number of airports, are limousine

services permitted to offer “on-demand” service whereby a customer can walk up to a sales

counter and ask to be transported immediately by a limousine.

Limousine rates are typically not fixed by local regulatory bodies except for minimum

fares to protect traditional taxicab markets. It is felt that that the public’s interest in the use of

these ground transportation modes is best served by encouraging competition among the service

providers. Therefore, it is typically easier to enter the limousine market where rates and services

will vary considerably. However, since this is a contracted service, it is felt that the average

consumer can and should do their own research as to the quality of service, comparable rates,

and dependability of the limousine company.

Historically, there was little competition between limousines and taxis because they

served different markets. Taxis were more for the everyday use of individuals who did not have

the use of a personal vehicle and were not or could not use public transportation to their

destinations. Limousines were special luxury vehicles contracted for a specific occasion. Taxis

charged by the (metered) distance and limousines charged by the hour. Taxis did have an hourly

rate but this was for waiting time – not provision of transportation.

Today, however, as the above definitions show, the classifications of taxi vs. limousines

have been becoming more broadly defined to include luxury sedans, vans, and SUV’s which

could conceivably be used either as a taxicab or a limousine – the major distinction being

whether or not the vehicle has a taxicab meter.

Some limousine operators, seeking to expand their markets and vehicle utilization in

many communities, have expanded their service offerings to include sedan service. This is

typical at many airports where limousine companies will offer a flat rate airport limousine

(sedan) service to the traveling public. Alternatively, some taxi operators, using luxury taxicabs

(sedans) would like to compete with the traditional limousine market by offering upscale or

luxury taxicabs at different fares from regular taxi service. There is obvious confusion in the

marketplace since essentially the same vehicle is being used for both “on demand” and

“contract” service. It is, thus, often tempting for the limousine sedan operator to offer taxi type

services without a meter or the authority to offer on demand service.

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These movements within the ground transportation industry present significant

challenges to cities like Saskatoon and Regina. These cities seek to protect the general interest

of their residents and the traveling public by enforcing taxi regulations to make this common

form of public transportation affordable and available, while at the same time permitting

competition within the traditional limousine (pre-arranged contract) markets to prevail. The two

most common methods for doing this has been to mandate either a fixed waiting time before a

contract carrier such as limousines can offer services, usually two or more hours as is presently

being considered, by setting a minimum hourly rate and a minimum of one hour contracts for

limousines and other prearranged operators, or both.

These forms of regulatory rules provide taxis with a competitive economic advantage for

shorter trips requiring less time. In addition, it is felt that the integrity and availability of

taxicabs is maintained. Since limousine services can and do often vary their rates according to

demand, (a New Year’s Eve rate will be significantly more than the average weekend rate) it

would be possible for these carriers to undercut taxi rates during non-peak time periods when

demand is lower for a specialized vehicle. Therefore, cities often face a difficult decision as to

how far to protect the taxi industry from these competing forms of ground transportation. Setting

a minimum limousine rate too high could deprive the public of this ground transportation

alternative, while setting it too low might threaten the existence of taxicab services. Taxicabs, by

regulation, must charge the same metered rate on New Year’s Eve as any other night of the year

and be available 24 hours per day every day!

Current Issues/Questions

There are valid questions about: (1) what a reasonable minimum rate for limousine

services with the cities of Saskatoon and Regina should be, and (2) whether the minimum

limousine and car-for-hire rates suggested within are similar to those charged by other

communities. Each of these questions is discussed below.

Reasonable Limousine Minimum Rate

The objective of any minimum limousine rate is to protect short trips, the traditional taxi

trips for the taxi industry, thereby ensuring that this valuable privately provided public

transportation service is available at all hours of the day and night every day of the year at a

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standard meter rate. Thus, a rate should be set which covers most normal trips undertaken by

these cities’ existing taxicab services. Data from these operators, Secret Shopper reports, and

personal trips taken, indicate that most taxi trips average around $10, but the range is from a few

dollars up to $25 or more in many cases.

Based on these data, it is being recommended here that Regina acquire the authority to

regulate limousine minimum rates and that these rates be set between $25 and $35 per hour at

this time. Authority would have to be granted by the Province to set minimum rates and

probably left up to officials of each city, but this range would provide the Regina Taxi Board

with the needed flexibility and direction.

A minimum waiting time of one, two, or more hours is not being recommended because

of the structural difficulty of trying to enforce such a requirement, and there are times when a

hotel, restaurant, club, etc., wishes to make a limousine service available on demand for guests

who wish to travel now and not in an hour or two. Having a minimum rate but no advance time

requirement provides this flexibility and is in the best interest of limousine companies, hotels,

and the traveling public.

As previously mentioned, the Regina International Airport may wish to offer a competing

on-demand sedan limousine service alternative to taxis for their traveling public. Being outside

City jurisdiction, they could establish any fare away from the airport that a provider might be

willing to competitively bid. However, inbound users, starting within the boundaries of the City

of Regina would need to adhere to the minimum sedan limousine fare. If this fare was set at

$25.00 however, it would still be competitively priced for a number of longer run taxi trips.

Comparisons with Other Cities’ Limousine Regulations

While a definitive comparable study of what other local regulatory bodies set as their

minimum limousine hourly rate would be helpful in answering this question, time and resources

were not available for primary data collection. Thus, we must rely on secondary published

information. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be any published studies regarding minimum

hourly charges for limousine services mandated by local regulatory authorities. We are therefore

left with industry figures as to what their actual minimum hourly charges are as surveyed by

trade journals and associations such as the Limousine and Chauffeur Transportation Journal

(LCT) and the Taxi, Livery and Paratransit Association. (TLPA).

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As reported in the September 2002 edition of the LCT, limousine operators in the South

charged a minimum hourly rate of $ 46.88 (US) for sedan service, $61.94 (US) for traditional

luxury limousine service, and $76.84 per hour for stretch limousine services.3 Similar figures are

reported by the TLPA for member limousine companies.

More recently, the TLPA 2009 Limousine & Sedan Fact Book, reported the average

minimum rates for sedan limousines to be $59.38 (US) and $79.46 (US) as the average minimum

rate from to and from airports.

It would therefore appear that a Saskatoon or Regina minimum limousine rate charge of

$25 to $35 per hour is in no way hindering competition among traditional limousine operators

wishing to do business within these cities. This rate is well below the current published rates for

listed operators.

Conclusions Relating to Limousines

It is our opinion that officials of the Saskatchewan Highway Traffic Board would be

acting very responsibly in protecting the public interest of the citizens and visitors of Saskatoon

and Regina by granting these cities the authority to establish and maintain a reasonable hourly

minimum rate charge for limousine operations within their jurisdictions. As shown, regulation

of limousines and taxis cannot be disconnected in the regulation of ground transportation within

a community. Clearly the public’s best long-term interest is not served by the open entry and

competition for taxi trips by un-metered sedan limousines operating as unregulated on-demand

carriers whenever they desire for whatever minimum rate they choose.

Today, taxis and open entry limousine sedan services will devolve into ruinous

competition without the regulation of a minimum charge per hour. In our opinion, the avoidance

of minimum hourly rates and regulations regarding limousine rates within the cities of Saskatoon

and Regina would result in poorer ground transportation services, higher taxi rates, less service

for economically disadvantaged areas and considerably more work for regulatory enforcement

officials as they react to the resulting increased number of passenger complaints. It is therefore

recommended that the City of Regina’s newly created Taxi Regulatory Division petition the

Province for the right to regulate limousine minimum rates for trips with originate within the

City of Regina.

3 Limousine and Chauffeur Transportation Journal, September 2002, pg. 36.

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APPENDIX A:

Detailed Explanation of Types of Taxi Companies

Figure 1

Continuum of City Taxicab Firms

At the top of the above slope, Category 1 represents the total taxi firm or to some, the

historical taxi firm. In this category, a taxi firm has a physical facility from which to conduct it

dispatching and vehicle maintenance. A full service taxi firm also provides drivers (as employees),

significant advertising, comprehensive radio dispatching, insurance, and fleet maintained vehicles.

Moreover, this type of taxi firm provides for collective agreements with major clients or social

service agencies, accepts credit cards with no additional charge, and represents a firm that stands

behind its service -- often trying to differentiate its service from the competition. These firms accept

all major credit cards, establish voucher systems with hotels, airlines for group rides, and often pre-

sell their services to conference and convention groups. Only a few major cities currently have this

type of full service taxicab firm utilizing employee drivers. Las Vegas is the notable exception to

this generalization due to its orientation toward the famous “Vegas Strip” and state regulations.

Category 1 Total Taxi Firm

Category 2 Taxi Firm/Vehicle Lessor

Category 3 Permit and Vehicle - Only Lessor

Category 4 Permit Owner/Operator Independent

Category 5 Permit Only Lessor

Individual Driver Orientation

Taxi Company

Orientation

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Competitive pressures, federal and state laws regarding employees, and industry interests

have forced the elimination of taxi drivers as employees in most other major U.S. cities. In their

place are the less costly independent contractors or lease drivers (Category 2 in Figure 1). At this

level the taxi firm retains all the service and obligations of its former common carrier status, i.e.,

insurance, vehicle ownership, radio dispatch, service agreements, etc., but elects to lease its fleet

vehicles to independent contractor drivers.

These lease arrangements can be a straight lease of so much per 12-hour shift, by the day, or

by weekly leases. A common form of the lease arrangement is the commissioned driver, where the

revenue from the vehicle is split with the driver after gasoline and tolls are deducted from the total.

With the commission or split arrangement, total taxi companies are acting in their own best interest

by putting only the number of taxi vehicles out on the street as necessary since they maintain the

vehicle and would receive no additional revenues if they oversupplied the market. The taxi driver

benefits by staying busy and earning the maximum amount possible given the time he/she is leasing

the vehicle.

Unfortunately, it is common practice for these independent drivers to decide whether or not

to take radio or dispatched trips as they are presented. Attempting to protect their status as “non-

employees, the taxi firm dispatchers offer the telephone request for taxi service to the independent

driver and if refused the dispatcher typically moves onto the next driver willing to take the call.

Usually the dispatch offer for business is taken but not always, leaving some trips uncovered. In

order to maintain the non-employee status, it is often felt that the taxi firm dispatchers cannot order a

driver to take any particular call.

While there is economic gain to the traditional taxi firm to move to Category 2, (e.g. no

employee taxes, wages, EEOC, paternity leave, vacation or sick days, employee lawsuits, liability

for driver accidents, or record keeping), there can be a noticeable loss of managerial control. As

stated above, a driver does not perceive that he or she has to accept a radio dispatched call, but rather

can elect to wait for a better fare. This poses a problem for the typical municipal taxi firm, which is

required by its original Certificate of Convenience and Necessary (taxi license) to accept all requests

for service. This is particularly relevant to out-of-the-way locations and/or high crime areas which

are often undesirable trips, for obvious reasons.

Category 2 also shifts the decision of hours of work onto the driver, since after leasing the

vehicle for a prescribed period, he/she has the option to work none, some, or all of the hours for

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which the taxi vehicles is leased. The resulting behavior has led cities to pass ordinances or rules

which state the maximum number of hours a taxi driver can be on duty out of 24 consecutive hours.

Under the split commission approach to drivers, full service taxi company officials, realizing

the potential loss of revenue from their portion of the revenue split, are generally not interested in

continuing to lease vehicles to individuals that prefer not to take dispatch calls unless they are good

fares.

A further variation of a Category 2 taxi firm is when management decides to also eliminate

its ownership of the taxi vehicle. In addition to being an independent driver, the individual wishing

to drive a taxi for this type of taxi firm must provide a suitable taxi vehicle to use. This vehicle is

then painted in the colors of the taxi firm and fitted with a taximeter which the driver typically rents

from the taxi firm.

Such “asset light” operations are also common in other service industries where the service is

provided by an independent contractor. Most trucking firms do not own their own trucks, but rather

pay an independent truck driver that provides both his/her labor and a truck. The issue in the taxi

industry, however, is the ongoing condition of the taxi vehicle and overall appearance. In many

instances, the management of the taxi firms might seldom see these vehicles that are flying the

company’s taxi colors. In Category 2 however, the taxi firm still provides all the company functions

of a Category 1 – marketing, dispatching, credit card processing, corporate clients, etc.

In smaller operations, a limited version of a Category 2 firm may initially operate as a

home based business, but then as the company grows, it typically expands into its own facility, either

by zoning regulations or the need for additional space and a place to interact with drivers and 24-

hour dispatchers.

A level down from the company orientation to that of the driver orientation of the taxicab

firm is represented above by Category 3 -- Permit and Vehicle-Only Lessor. It is often difficult to

distinguish a Category 2 taxi firm from a Category 3, but in this scenario, a single individual, acting

in name only as a taxi firm, will lease his/her taxicab permit(s) and vehicle(s) to independent

contractor drivers. Typically, such an individual or firm provides very little or no dispatching and no

marketing, other than perhaps a listing in the Yellow Pages of the local phone company. Today, this

is possible because almost all drivers have cell phones for use with regular patrons. In addition, the

drivers may be connected through a common cell phone system that lets them easily reach one

another to see who can take a call for service. Typically, such operations are comprised of ten or

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fewer vehicles in what is referred to as a “spider” network – trading customer calls to cover their

demand. In summary, this Category 3 taxi firm would offer no real coordinated 24-hour radio

service, advertising, or service contracts, credit card, or voucher support.

In recent years there appears to be a hybrid type of taxi firm that is both Category 2 and 3.

That is, they have certain vehicles that they lease for general use within the community. These

vehicles take dispatch calls and participate in corporate client business and other clients of the taxi

firm. Such a firm may also have “airport only” cabs for lease or lease their permits to individuals

that want to bring their own vehicles but want to serve only the airport. These operators are often

referred to within the industry as “airport commandos” since they serve only the airport and

whatever personals they may be able to secure. Typically, the lease fee for these airport-only cabs

will be considerably less than that of the general community use cab. Due to the wait time at the

airport, it is typical for the general community use cab to not participate in airport traffic unless

called for a prearranged pickup, or when there is just no other business available.

The Fourth Category on the continuum of taxi firms is that of the single permit

owner/operator. In a Category 4 firm, the holder of the permit is also the driver. This driver typically

does not have availability of radio dispatch and/or service contracts with hotels and is forced to work

the public cabstands, primarily the airport, and any "personals" he/she may develop. In this scenario,

the taxi driver is an independent driver contracted mainly to the city or airport or both. Thus, the

airport or the city becomes the de-facto personnel department for these drivers. The city’s or

airport’s responsibility is to screen drivers (issue a permit), manage their conduct (require that they

follow the taxi ordinances), and discipline them when necessary (issues citations/violations).

Furthest away from the traditional regulated taxi firm is Category 5 -- Permit Only Lessor. In

this scenario the holder of city or airport permit simply pays the city an annual fee for the permit

privilege and then either drives a single vehicle himself or leases it to the independent taxi driver

who must provide his own vehicle, insurance, maintenance, etc. associated with operating a taxicab.

Nothing else is provided. In essence, the permit holder provides no additional economic value to the

permit other than to lease it to a city-licensed taxicab driver and inspected vehicle. This category’s

firms are comprised often of what the industry refers to as independent owner-operator, medallion

drivers.

In this scenario, the city or airport again assumes the role of being the personnel department

for the independent taxicab drivers. Often these drivers will join driver associations for the purposes

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of purchasing insurance and/or furthering their desires for increases in taxi fares and community

support for the taxi drivers.

As shown, this continuum of taxicab firms ranges from the total taxi firm which adds

significant economic value to the city's taxicab permit, down to that of a simple permit holder who

leases a city property (the taxi permit) to the highest bidder. At the upper end of this continuum, the

total taxi firm is adding significant value to the community permit, using their own employees or

commissioned drivers which they manage themselves. As we move toward the concept of the

independent driver who owns his/her own vehicle, the community and/or airport inherits a much

greater role in the management of these taxi drivers on a day-to-day basis.

Unfortunately, most city regulatory systems are set up as if we still had either Category 1 or

Category 2 taxi firms and, as such, they assume very little management role of the taxi drivers at

first, but over time, through issuance of driver’s permits, vehicle inspections, daily citations for

violations of city/airport taxi ordinances, etc. the Board becomes the day-to-day management of the

community's taxi operations. This framework is an appropriate template upon which the City of

Winnipeg’s taxi firms can be placed.

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APPENDIX B Taxi Deregulation Results in Other Cities

The failure of the U.S. taxicab industry open entries deregulation is well documented. Dr.

Sandra Rosenbloom of The University of Texas, and Dr. Roger Teal if The California State

University have separately concluded that taxi deregulation has failed to demonstrate any

substantial benefits to drivers, taxi firms, or users.4,5 Dr. Paul Dempsey, in summarizing the

empirical data from these researchers' studies and other commissioned studies6, listed the results

of taxi deregulation in 21 major U.S. cities prior to 1983. These were:

1. A significant increase in new entry; 2. A decline in operational efficiency and productivity; 3. An increase in highway congestion, energy consumption and environmental

pollution; 4. An increase in rates; 5. A decline in driver income; 6. A deterioration in service; and 7. Little or on improvement in administrative costs.7

Other notable authors having once advocated taxi deregulation by removing the

maximum number of cabs authorized to provide service and recognizing a single owner/drivers

as a cab company have since changed their minds based on the empirical evidence and the failure

of their own recommendations.

"The taxicab industry has undergone significant changes in the last decade or so. It passed from a regulated industry to a deregulated one in many cities and municipalities and back again to the regulated environment. A lot of economists who were arguing that regulation causes perverse effects on taxicab industry performance have changed their minds after having observed this industry operating without entry and fare regulations and have invoked back the regime of regulation."8 An entry proponent of taxicab deregulation, Professor Teal writes:

4 Rosenbloom, Sandra The Taxi in the Urban Transport Systems, The Private Challenge To Public Transportation (Charles Lane, ed., 1984) 5 Teal, Roger & Berglund, Mary, The Impacts of Taxicab Deregulations in the U.S.A., Journal of Transportation Economics of policy, Volume #37, (Jan. 1987) 6 Dempsey, Paul Stephen, " Taxi Industry Regulation, Deregulation & Regulation: The Paradox of Market Failure" Transportation Law Journal, University of Denver, College of Law, Denver, Colorado, Volume 24, #1, Summer 1996, p.102 7 Dempsey, Op. Lite, p. 102 8 Gentzoglanis, Anastassios, "The Taxicab Industry: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence from (De) Regulation," Proceedings; International Conference on Taxi Regulation, Montreal, Canada, 1992, p.57

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"By the late 1980's, the returns were in on the taxi deregulation experiences. These took two forms. The first was actual data on the post-deregulation experiences, obtained in part through studies sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation (Gelb, 1982; Gelb, 1983a; Gelb, 1983b; Teal et al., 1984). The second involved the responses of the local governments which had initiated the regulatory changes, namely continuation, modification, or abandonment of these policies. "Both analytically and politically, economic deregulation fared relatively poorly, particularly compared to the expectations of its proponents. The local governments which had adopted the most far-reaching forms of deregulation eventually either completely abandoned this policy or sharply scaled back the most significant features of deregulation. In addition, the only comprehensive empirical study of the deregulation experiences came to the conclusion that the benefits of deregulation were "insubstantial" in most locales (Teal and Berglund,1987). While some economists continue to argue on theoretical grounds for deregulation, apparently not willing to concede to the empirical evidence (Frankena and Pautler, 1984 is an early example; Travers Morgan, 1988 a more recent example), the political debate appears to be largely over. No large American city has deregulated its taxi industry during the past several years, and the issue has essentially disappeared from the active urban transportation policy agenda."9 (Original citing from 1992, but is still viable today.) The deregulation and then re-regulation of taxicabs in the city of Seattle is indicative of

the taxicab deregulation experienced by many major U.S. cities. James J. Buck, Manager of

Seattle's King County Division of General Services, writes:

"In 1979, the Seattle City Council adopted legislation which eliminated the population ratio as an entry limitation for taxicab licenses. You could license as many cabs as met the licensing requirements, i.e., application fee, insurance, inspected and approved vehicle and taximeter, approved name and color scheme, and approved ownership. At the same time, rates were whatever the licensee filed with the City, as long as the rate followed the prescribed form and was reflected on the taximeter. "Did the market regulate entry and rates? NO. Were there problems? YES. Rate gouging. Short haul refusals. Surly and discourteous treatment of passengers. Fights at cab stands at the Airport. Experiential data concerning accidents and safely became very damaging, impacting insurance rates and coverage. Government regulators were constantly barraged by industry complaints that "deregulation" wasn't working, they couldn't make any money, unsafe vehicles on the street, tension and animosity among drivers with the potential for violence, etc. Pleas for reviews were frequent.10

9 Teal, Roger F., "An Overview of the American Experience with Taxi Deregulation" Proceeding IATR, Montreal, Canada, 1992, p. 123 10 Buck, James J., "The Seattle U-Turn" Proceedings, International Conference on Taxicab Regulation, Montreal, Canada, 1992, p.141-142

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By 1984, taxicab deregulation in King County was dead -- completely reversed with

fixed limit on taxicab licenses.

By far the most comprehensive analysis of taxicab deregulation and re-regulation was

prepared by Price Waterhouse's Office of Government Services.11 Six U.S. cities which had

deregulated their taxicab previously through open entry were examined in depth. The executive

summary of this Price Waterhouse report concludes:

"Deregulation introduced several immediate changes in taxi supply, price, and service quality in the six cities for which detailed case study information is available (Berkeley, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, and Seattle.) The experience of these cities generally indicates that the benefits of deregulation were devalued by unanticipated and unattractive side effects:

"Although the supply of taxi services expanded dramatically, only marginal service improvement were experienced by consumers. Within a year of deregulation, the supply of taxi services increased an average of 23%. Because most new entrants were independent operators and small fleet owners with limited capability to serve the telephone-based market, most new service was concentrated at already well-served locations -- such as airports and major cabstands. Customer wait times at these locations, already short, were reduced further. Response times in the telephone market were similar to pre-deregulation performance. Trip refusals and no-shows, however, increased significantly. "Prices rose in every instance. Paradoxically, the influx of new entrants did not invoke the price competition typically experienced in other newly-deregulated industries. Prices rose an average of 29% in the year following deregulation. There appear to be two sources of this unexpected event. First, fare increases prior to deregulation had consistently lagged cost increases. Veteran operators thus corrected prices at the first opportunity. Second, new entrants generally charged higher fares than the veteran operators. The cabstand markets on which these operators focused their services are generally price insensitive and, because of the first-in first-out nature of taxi queues, comparison shopping is discouraged. For these reason, the new entrants had no incentive to introduce price competition. "Service quality declined. Trips refusals, a decline in vehicles age and condition, and aggressive passenger solicitation associated with an over-supply of taxis are characteristic of a worsening in service quality following deregulation. "The negative aspects of deregulation were especially evident at airports and major tourist attractions. As a result, deregulation often acquired the enmity of the business community and adverse media coverage. These effects were most closely associated with cities that implemented an "open entry" policy that enabled influx of

11 Analysis of Taxicab Deregulation and Re-regulation, Price Waterhouse, Office of Government Services, Washington, D.C., 1993

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independent owner-operators that were unaffiliated with companies or taxi cooperatives.

The airport taxicab system might have an impact on low-income and residential users -

the primary market for non-airport taxicabs. Professor Gorman Gilbert, one of the country's

foremost writers on taxicabs and former Commissioner of the New York City Limousine and

Taxi Authority writes the following:

"The increase in taxicab fares in residential areas produces a particularly bitter impact on low-income persons. A major and increasing proportion of residential taxicab business originates in low-income or minority neighborhood….this is not surprising since residents in these areas are often dependent on taxicab service for mobility. These trips are for essential purposes, such as trips to grocery stores and medical factories. In contrast, the trips from airports and downtown hotel stands are made by persons who are clearly more affluent businesspersons, vacationers, and conventioneers. "Increasing fares to residential areas means that the impact of more taxicab is borne disproportionately by low-income persons. In other words, those who can least afford to pay would be charged the most…Those who follow the academic argument of 'letting the market decide' taxicab fares are really 'letting the poor pay more.'"12

12 Gilbert, Gorman, Effect of Open Entry and Variable Fares on the Cost of Taxicab Service to Residential Areas, 1984

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APPENDIX C Regina Secret Shopper Survey Forms

Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form

RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Capital Cabs Phone number used: 791-2222 Date: December 16, 2009 Time of call: 7:46 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: 4 rings______________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _X__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10-15______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was female and had a friendly voice. She asked for a name for the driver. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it

has not arrived. If you have to do this, please relate response on following lines.

3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: _____12_____ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? ___yes _X__no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no The driver handed me the taxi receipt. When I looked at it, it was blank. I filled in the info other than the car number and driver number. The driver's taxi license was sticking out from behind some other note papers and I could not see the number. 6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip.

a. Origin of trip _Pasqua Hospital Main Entrance Area Postal Code: __S4T 1A7___________________ b. Destination of trip__Normanview Mall - main entrance Area Postal Code: ____S4T 7S4__________________ c. Trip purpose__Taxi Secret Shopper_________________________ d. Cost ___$12.00_______________________________ e. Gratuity __$2.00_____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a black winter jacket and a ball cap. He had medium length grey hair and was 60+. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said, “yes I do.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When I opened the door of the taxi, the driver asked me where I would like to

go. I told him that I would like to go to the Normanview Mall, grocery store entrance. The driver was quiet with no conversation. I asked if I could pay with a credit card, and the transaction was handled with ease. I asked if I could have a receipt, and the driver said, no problem and handed me a receipt. I did not notice until I was out of the taxi that it was blank. I filled in the information. He thanked me and wished me a good day.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #1 1. Taxi company called: Capital Cab Phone number used: 306 791 2222 Date: December 11, 2009 Time of call: 2:58 pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _4 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________20 to 25 _ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly?

2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it

has not arrived. If you have to do this, please relate response on following lines. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________19_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � � x � � � b. answering their phone � � � x � � c. courtesy of drivers � � � x � � d. appearance of drivers � � x � � � e. willingness to pick up � x � � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints x � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � x � � � � h. willing to accept credit cards � x � � � � 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? __x_yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? __x_yes ___no

6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip.

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a. Origin of trip _2206 Dewdney Avenue______________________ Area Postal Code: _S4R1H3____________________ b. Destination of trip__953 Victoria Avenue___________________ Area Postal Code: _S4N0R4_____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost ___$9.10______________________________ e. Gratuity __$4.90_____________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a gentleman who is below average height with a light build. He had short dark curly hair, a dark complexion, brown eyes and a beard. He was wearing a grey wool toque with a charcoal colored ski jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was clean inside and out. Inside, it smelled fresh and had the appearance of being cleaned recently. The exterior was free of dirt and grime. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said that he could accept a credit card. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail The driver was refreshed and alert. When I entered the cab, he said “Hi. How are you?” We started driving towards out destination and I asked the driver if he was having a busy day. He told me that this was the beginning of his shift and I was his first fare. He asked me what I was up to. I told him that I was out running errands and going to a party later. The traffic was unusually heavy and there were some confused drivers causing delays. The driver was noticeably bothered and impatient with these setbacks. Since the roads were dangerously icy, I was concerned for my own safety because of his lack of patience. I told him to please be calm and take his time because I plan to tip him well. On my way out of the taxi, he asked me where my party was being held and said “Have fun at your party tonight.” We traveled 3.5km and the ride was six minutes long.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #3 1. Taxi company called: Capital Cabs Phone number used: 306 525 2727 Date: December 11th, 2009 Time of call: 3:56

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _I called Capital cabs once at 3:54 and heard a busy signal. So, I decided to wait a minute and call back. On my second attempt, the phone rang 6 time and an operator answered.________

b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes __x_ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? _______5 to 20__ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly?



3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________21_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � � x � � � b. answering their phone � � x � � � c. courtesy of drivers � � x � � � d. appearance of drivers � � x � � � e. willingness to pick up � x � � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints x � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � � x � � � h. willing to accept credit cards � � � � x � 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? ___yes __x_no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? ___yes __x_no

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a. Origin of trip __2030 Prince of Wales Drive _______________________ Area Postal Code: _S4N3A6____________________ b. Destination of trip__2105 E Victoria Avenue___________________ Area Postal Code: _S4N6P3_____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost __$9.60________________________________ e. Gratuity __$3.40_____________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a gentleman who is in his late forties to early fifties. He wore glasses with silver wire frames, has ‘salt and pepper’ hair, a medium build, average height (no more than 6’ tall) and he wore a red ski jacket with jeans. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was clean on the outside and there was a bit of debris left in the back seat including someone’s receipt from a restaurant in the airport and a price tag from a garment of clothing on the floor. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said that it would be much easier if I paid him with cash. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail The driver arrived to pick me up promptly. When I entered the cab the driver said “Hi. Where are we headed?” After we were driving in the right direction, I asked the driver if he was having a busy day. He indicated that it was a busy day. I asked if he was ready for the holidays so the two of us discussed the challenges of buying gifts for other people. The driver said, “Thanks and have a Merry Christmas” as I left the car. We traveled for nine minutes and covered 3 km.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Capital Cabs Phone number used: 791-2222 Date: November 25, 2009 Time of call: 3:44 p.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: 3 rings______________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _X__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was male and was friendly. He asked for a name for the driver. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it

has not arrived. If you have to do this, please relate response on following lines. I phoned at 12 minutes past the estimated time of arrival; the operator indicated that the cab would be along shortly. The cab arrived 15 minutes after I placed the phone call.

3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: _____15_______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no

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a. Origin of trip _Northgate Shopping Centre - Shopper's Drug Mart entrance Area Postal Code: _S4R 8C5____________________ b. Destination of trip__Normanview Shopping Centre - Dollorama entrance Area Postal Code: _S4T 7S4_____________________ c. Trip purpose__Taxi Secret Shopper_________________________ d. Cost ___$11.70_______________________________ e. Gratuity __$2.50_____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a dark grey jacket. He had medium length grey hair and was wearing glasses. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said, I sure do. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please include your conversation during the ride, and the greeting and parting comments from the driver). When I opened the door of the taxi, the driver said hello and apologized for being late. I thanked him. He asked me where I would like to go. I told him that I would like to go to Dollorama at the Normanview Shopping Centre. The driver was very talkative and friendly. We discussed the Agribition that was currently taking place in our city. We discussed how much the traffic had increased during this time. I asked if I could pay with a credit card, and the transaction was handled with ease. I asked if I could have a receipt, and the driver said, no problem, and immediately filled it out for me. He thanked me and wished me a good evening.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Capital Cabs Phone number used: 306 791 2222 Date: November 26, 2009 Time of call: 3:20 pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: 2 rings______________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________20_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator answered the phone and I requested a taxi to the front door of the

East Walmart. She sounded stern when she advised me of a 20 minute wait and asked me whether or not I still wanted to wait for a cab. I told her that I still wanted a cab and the wait is no problem. She did not repeat my location to verify whether or not she was sending a taxi to the correct location. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________16_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � � X � � � b. answering their phone � � � X � � c. courtesy of drivers � � X � � � d. appearance of drivers � � X � � � e. willingness to pick up � � X � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints X � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � X � � � � h. willing to accept credit cards � X � � � �

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5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you. a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? ___yes __x_no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? __x_yes ___no


a. Origin of trip _East Walmart________________________ Area Postal Code: __S4V 3A6___________________ b. Destination of trip_Sandra Schmirler Leisure Center Area Postal Code: __S4V2P9____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _$7.20_________________________________ e. Gratuity _$2.00______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a gentleman with a dark complexion, a medium build and dark hair. He wore a black knitted hat with a black jacket with a zipper on the front. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi #NUMBER was clean on the inside and outside. The floor mats were a bit dirty. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said: “Yes, I accept credit card. Do you have a Visa or Master Card?” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please

include your conversation during the ride, and the greeting and parting comments from the driver).

This driver greeted me with a friendly, “Hello.” Then he asked, “Where are you headed?” He had a friendly demeanor and chatted most of the way. The taxi ride was 2.5 km. We talked about the overabundance of out of town folk in the city for Agribition this week. As I left, my taxi driver, NAME, said “Thanks and have a good day.”

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Capital Cabs Phone number used: 791-2222 Date: December 3, 2009 Time of call: 7:33 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: 1 ring______________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _X__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10-15______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was female and was very friendly. She asked for a name for the driver. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: _____14_____ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Northgate Shopping Centre - Shopper's Drug Mart entrance

Area Postal Code: _S4R 3C3____________________ b. Destination of trip__Sherwood Co-op Gas Bar Area Postal Code: __S4X 2W9____________________ c. Trip purpose__Taxi Secret Shopper_________________________ d. Cost ___$15.20_______________________________ e. Gratuity __$2.00_____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a grey blue parka. He had short dark, wavy hair and was wearing glasses. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said, “I sure do.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When I opened the door of the taxi, the driver asked me where I would like to go. I told him that I would like to go to the Sherwood Village Mall, Co-op Gas Bar. The driver was very talkative and friendly. We discussed the traffic at this time of the morning and the weather. I asked if I could pay with a credit card, and the transaction was handled with ease. I asked if I could have a receipt, and the driver said, “no problem” and immediately filled it out for me. He thanked me and wished me a good day.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 306 791 2222 Date: 2009/12/08 Time of call: 2:28

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: __2 rings____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________less than ten_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator had a friendly tone of voice. When I told him that I need a cab, he

promised to send one in under ten minutes. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________6_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? ___yes __x_no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? __x_yes ___no

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip __3806 Albert Street (Golden Mile Mall)________ Area Postal Code: ___S4S 3R1__________________ b. Destination of trip__University of Regina___________________ Area Postal Code: ___S4S 0A2___________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost ____8.50______________________________ e. Gratuity ____2.50___________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver had a dark complexion, dark framed glasses and very short curly hair. He was average height. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi’s interior was clean and in good repair. The exterior was also clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said, “Let me see if I have a visa slip.” He had a Visa slip. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail

When I entered the taxi, the driver said “Hello. Where are we headed?” After I provided the address, I noticed that the driver was using GPS. I asked him if he was familiar with the area. The driver said that he moved here recently from Ontario and did not know the area. I asked him if the cold weather has made him busier and he smiled and indicated that the cold weather had caused an increase in business. He turned his GPS on to guide him to the right place. He had a friendly demeanor. When he dropped me off, he said, “Thank you for your business and have a good night.”

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #1 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 306 791 2222 Date: December 10th 2009 Time of call: 6:55 am

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: __3 rings____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? _______5 to 20 minutes__

minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? When I called, the operator who answered had a friendly tone and demeanor.

She only wanted to know where I was located, not where I wanted to go. I had to ask her to estimate how long the taxi would take to arrive. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __________18 minutes__ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip __935 Victoria Avenue_______________________ Area Postal Code: __S4N 0R8___________________ b. Destination of trip__Sandra Schmirler Leisure

Center___________________ Area Postal Code: __S4V 2P9____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _____11.90_____________________________ e. Gratuity __3.10_____________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver wore grey pants , a green and grey ski jacket and a green toque. He had a dark complexion, dark brown hair, glasses and he was not cleanly shaven. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was a bit dirty on the outside and very clean on the inside. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? “Yes, I can accept Visa or Master Card.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail

The taxi driver arrived and greeted me by saying, “Hello.” He paused and asked “Where can I take you?” We had some pleasant conversation on the drive and we talked about where he was from. The taxi driver went on to tell me that he likes Regina because it is a good place to raise a family. When we arrived at the leisure center, I asked him if he could accept a credit card and he said “Yes, I can accept Visa or MasterCard.” After I paid him, he looked at the credit card slip and said, “Thank you for the tip.” I told him he deserved it. The taxi ride lasted 13 minutes and we travelled 6.5km.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #3 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 305 525 2727 Date: December 10, 2009 Time of call: 8:07 am

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _4 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________up to 20_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator who answered sounded pleasant and friendly. I requested a taxi

to the door near “The Broken Rack” at the Golden Mile Mall. She said that she would send a car. I asked how long it would be and the operator estimated up to 20 minutes. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________14_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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a. Origin of trip ___Golden Mile Mall______________________ Area Postal Code: ___S4S3R1__________________ b. Destination of trip__University of Regina___________________ Area Postal Code: __S4S0A2____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost ___$7.30_______________________________ e. Gratuity ____$2.00___________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was a male in approximately his late 20’s. He has a dark complexion, a light build and average height. He was wearing a black jacket, dark grey dress pants and glasses with white frames. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi itself was slightly dirty on the outside. The taxi’s sliding rear door was difficult to open and close. It is possible that it needed to be adjusted and it is also possible that this door had ice interfering with its operation. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said “ok, I can accept a credit card. Is that a Visa?” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail

The driver greeted me by saying, “You called for a taxi?” I said yes then he asked me where he could take me. The driver did not seem overly talkative. I asked him if he was having a busy day. He said yes, he was especially busy since the snow fell. He asked me if I needed to be dropped off at the Ridell Center at the University. I said that I needed to go to the bookstore. He asked if that was at College West. When I left the taxi, nothing was said. We drove for 7 minutes and traveled 4.5 kilometers.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #4

1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 306 525 2727

Date: December 10th 2009 Time of call: 8:33

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _2 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? _______5 to 20 __ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator had a friendly demeanor and she sounded a bit rushed. I was

promised a taxi pick up in 5 to 20 minutes. The operator asked me where I needed to be dropped off.



3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __________18__ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x

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5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.


6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip ___3737 Wascana Pkwy______________________ Area Postal Code: __S4S0A2___________________ b. Destination of trip___935 Victoria Avenue.__________________ Area Postal Code: ___S4N0R1___________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost ____$13.70______________________________ e. Gratuity _$4.00______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was an older man. He had white hair, a fair complexion, medium build and average height. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The outside of the taxi was immaculate. The inside was slightly dirty as the floor mats had dirt on them and there was a bit of debris in the back seat. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said, “Yes, I can if I have to.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail The driver greeted me in a friendly tone of voice by saying, “Hi. Where are we

headed to?” I asked him how long he has been driving cab and he told me that he has been driving taxi for 42 years. He said that he works in all areas of the city and has seen a lot. When he dropped me off and we settled the bill, he said “Thank you” in a cheery tone of voice as I stepped out of the car. We travelled 4km and the trip took 10 minutes.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #4 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 525-2727 Date: December 16, 2009 Time of call: 8:43 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: ___1 ring___________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _X__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __right away___ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was male. He was friendly. He asked for the street name where the mall was located as he was unsure; I told him that it was Rochdale Boulevard and McCarthy Crescent. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___5_______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? __X_yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no

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a. Origin of trip _Sherwood Village Mall, Shopper's Drug Mart Entrance Area Postal Code: ____S4X 2W9_________________ b. Destination of trip__Northgate Shopping Centre - North Entrance Area Postal Code: ___S4R 3C4___________________ c. Trip purpose___Taxi Secret Shopper________________________ d. Cost ______$12.10____________________________ e. Gratuity _____$2.00__________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male, wearing a black turban. He was wearing a black jacket. He was 30+. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was not very clean. The backs of the front seats were scuffed with mud and dirt. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said yeah, okay; you don't have any cash? I indicated that no, I would like to use my credit card. He said okay and completed the transaction. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When I opened the door of the taxi, the driver said hello. The driver was very

quiet. He asked me where I would like to go. I indicated that I wanted to go to the food court entrance at the Northgate Mall. When I asked to use a credit card, the driver said, “Yeah, okay; you don't have any cash?” I indicated that no, I would like to use my credit card. He said okay and completed the transaction. I asked for a receipt and he said, “sure” and filled it out immediately. He said goodbye.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #4 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 525-2727 Date: November 25, 2009 Time of call: 4:37 p.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: ___3 rings___________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _X__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10-15_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was male. He was brief. He did not ask for a name and was not friendly. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ____15________ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.


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a. Origin of trip _Sherwood Village Mall - Shopper's Drug Mart entrance Area Postal Code: __S4X 2W9___________________ b. Destination of trip__Northgate Shopping Centre - Zeller's entrance Area Postal Code: __S4R 8C5____________________ c. Trip purpose___Taxi Secret Shopper________________________ d. Cost ______$11.00____________________________ e. Gratuity _____$2.50__________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male, bald head, wearing a black leather jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? Yes, ma'am. No problem. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please

include your conversation during the ride, and the greeting and parting comments from the driver). When I opened the door of the taxi, the driver said hello. He apologized for being a little late. He was very chatty and interesting. We talked about the size of Regina and the size of Calgary, where he used to live. The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked for a receipt and he said, sure, and filled it out immediately. He said thank you and told me to have a great night.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #4 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 306 525 2727 Date: November 26, 2009 Time of call: 4:23 pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _3 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________5 to 15_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The tone of voice from operator who answered my call seemed unsure of the

answers she was giving me or distracted. I asked her to send a taxi to Stone’s Throw Coffee House on Kramer Blvd. She repeated the name of the location and sounded unsure. I told her that the location I am at is across from McDonald’s on Kramer Blvd. She estimated my wait at 5 to 15 minutes. I asked whether or not credit card was an acceptable payment method. She told me that Visa and Master Card are acceptable.


has not arrived. If you have to do this, please relate response on following lines. After waiting for 20 minutes, I called back. The same operator answered my call. I asked her whether or not the taxi I requested to the Stone’s Throw Coffee House had been sent as it had not arrived. She assured me that the taxi was on its way. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________21_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X

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e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? __x_yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? ___yes __x_no

6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Stone’s Throw Coffee House________________________ Area Postal Code: _S4S5W4____________________ b. Destination of trip:_Southland Mall_S4S6H4___________________ Area Postal Code: ______________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _$9.60_________________________________ e. Gratuity _$2.40______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a mature gentleman with a dark complexion and glasses. He wore a medium grey colored shirt. He had a medium build and his height is average. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi NUMBER was clean on the outside. The inside was extremely clean. The upholstery and carpets appeared to have been recently shampooed. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver asked me whether or not I had any cash at all. I said “yes.” He said that it would be much easier for him if I paid cash rather than credit card. Since I did not want to be a nuisance, I paid him with cash.

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7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please


I opened the rear door of the taxi and sat in the back seat. The taxi driver

greeted me by saying “Hi. Where would you like to go?” I told him that I need to go to the Southland Mall library. The driver was quiet so I asked him if he was having a busy day. He told me in a friendly tone that Argibition guests are keeping him busy and that he expects to have a busy night. NAME told me that the farmers who are in town for Agribition like to go out at night and party. Agribition puts farmers in a festive mood. NAME also told me that there are a lot of people out partying at night because the Saskatchewan Rough Riders are playing in the Grey Cup next weekend in Calgary. The driver was very friendly and made pleasant small talk during the entire cab ride. Apart from his unwillingness to accept my credit card, I thought he offered outstanding service. When I was about to get out of the car, NAME said “Thanks” in a genuine tone of voice.

As I was getting out of the cab I had an absent-minded moment and forgot my

change on the console of the car. NAME stopped me before he drove away to make sure that I had the $8.00 of change he owed me. If NAME had not been so honest, he could have easily kept my change. I thanked him for his honesty. The distance was 4 km.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #4 1. Taxi company called: Co-op Taxi Phone number used: 525-2727 Date: December 3, 2009 Time of call: 8:40 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: ___2 rings___________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _X__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10-15_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was male. He was friendly. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___7_______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.


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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _106 - 15 Alport Crescent

Area Postal Code: __S4R 8C6___________________ b. Destination of trip__Northgate Shopping Centre - North Entrance Area Postal Code: ___S4R 3C4___________________ c. Trip purpose___Taxi Secret Shopper________________________ d. Cost ______$6.70____________________________ e. Gratuity _____$1.00__________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male, with short grey dark hair. He was wearing a green and white fleece jacket. He was in this 30's. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said, “Sure, not a problem.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When I opened the door of the taxi, the driver said hello. The driver was very

quiet and did not say much. At the end of the ride I asked if he would take a credit card and he said, “Sure, not a problem.” The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked for a receipt and he said, sure, and filled it out immediately. He said thank you and told me to have a good day.

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RIDE #1 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cabs Phone number used: 305 543 3333 Date:2009/12/08 Time of call: 1:59a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _6 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? _______5 – 10 __ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The taxi operator had a very friendly sounding tone and demeanor on the

telephone. I requested a taxi to University of Regina (Lazy Owl). The taxi operator said that there would be a car there within 5 to 10 minutes. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________4_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x � b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip __3737 Wascana Parkway_______________________ Area Postal Code: __S4S0A2___________________ b. Destination of trip_Golden Mile Center____________________ Area Postal Code: S4S3R1 c. Trip purpose:___________________________ d. Cost ___$8.10_______________________________ e. Gratuity __$1.90_____________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver had a fair complexion, blonde hair and average height. He wore a ski jacket and jeans. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The interior of the taxi was extremely clean and its leather seating was in excellent condition. The outside was clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver’s response to my credit card was, “Let me find a Visa slip” in a pleasant tone of voice. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail

When I entered the taxi, the driver immediately asked, “Where would you like to go?” The trip lasted seven minutes and we travelled 3km. The driver and I carried on a conversation about the east end of Regina and how it is different from other parts of the city. The driver, NAME, told me that he is a tradesperson and he is considering moving to a different city in a few months. He also told me that he has been noticeably busier since the weather has turned cold and the snow fell. When he dropped me off, he said, “Thanks.” Even though it was late at night, I felt safe because the driver was professional and carried on a pleasant conversation.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cab Phone number used: 306 543 3333 Date: December 10, 2009 Time of call: 7:29 am

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _I had to listen to a recording while hold the line for 45 seconds_____________

b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________5 to 20_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? Even thought the operator sounded friendly, she sounded like she was in a

hurry. I asked for a taxi pick up at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre. I was quoted a wait between 5 to 20 minutes. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __________22__ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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a. Origin of trip _Sandra Schmirler Leisure Center___ Area Postal Code: _S4P2P9____________________ b. Destination of trip__Golden Mile Shopping Center___________________ Area Postal Code: _S4S3R1_____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _22.20_________________________________ e. Gratuity __4.80_____________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was an older gentleman who is average height with a medium build and grey hair. He was not cleanly shaven. He wore a grey toque and a grey hooded sweatshirt beneath a ski jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was slightly dirty on the outside and the inside was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The taxi driver said, “Can I talk you into paying with cash?” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail Upon entering the taxi, the driver said “Hello. Where can I take you?” I

provided the location and asked him if he was having a busy day. The driver told me that there are too many cars on the road today and some are sitting idle. The two of us went on to discuss getting ready for the holidays. At the end of the ride I tried to pay him with credit card and he said, “Can I talk you into paying with cash?” So, I paid with cash. The driver graciously accepted my cash and said, “Thanks, stay warm!” Rather than taking the quickest, most direct route (via Ring Road) the driver drove through the city. He did not make the best possible use of my time and resources. The taxi ride was 13 minutes long and we traveled 10.5 km.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #3 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cabs Phone number used: 543-3333 Date: December 16, 2009 Time of call: 8:19 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _2 rings____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __X_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was male. He did a good job overall. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it



a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? __X_yes ___no

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Normanview Mall, main entrance

Area Postal Code: ____S4T 7S4_________________ b. Destination of trip___Sherwood Village Mall - Shopper's Drug Mart Entrance___________ Area Postal Code: ____S4X 2W9__________________ c. Trip purpose____Taxi Secret Shopper_______________________ d. Cost _________$6.80_________________________ e. Gratuity _____$1.20__________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male, wearing a tan winter jacket and a black touque. He had short brown/grey hair. He was 50+ and was wearing glasses. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was in good condition. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said that would be just fine. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When the driver arrived, he said hello and asked me where I would like to go. I

told him that I wanted to go to the Sherwood Village Mall, Shopper's Drug Mart entrance. We chatted comfortably about grocery stores and the price of meat. The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked for a receipt, which he promptly filled out and gave to me. He said thank you and have a nice day.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #5 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cabs Phone number used: 306 543 3333 Date: December 11, 2009 Time of call: 4:49pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: ______________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________unknown_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The gentleman who answered the phone was probably very busy. He sounded

stressed when I called. I requested a cab, he asked my name and location. When I asked how long the taxi is going to take, the operator’s response was “as fast as I can get a car there.” 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________22_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival x b. answering their phone x c. courtesy of drivers x

d. appearance of drivers x e. willingness to pick up x at your establishment f. handling of complaints x g. appearance of vehicles x h. willing to accept credit cards x 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip __3130 Woodhams Drive_______________________ Area Postal Code: _S4V 2P9____________________ b. Destination of trip__2206 Dewdney Avenue___________________ Area Postal Code: __S4R1H3____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost __$16.00________________________________ e. Gratuity _$4.00______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a man who is average height and a medium build. He was not cleanly shaven. He wore a black toque with a ski green and black ski jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi had a moderate amount of dirt on the outside. The inside was clean aside from a bit of dirt on the floor mats. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said “I cannot accept credit cards.” When I asked why, he said “I have no machine!” in an abrupt and rude tone of voice. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail I entered the taxi cab and waited for the driver to say something. Even though

dispatch had asked for my name, he did not ask who I am. All he said is “Where do you need to go?” After we were headed towards our destination, I asked him if he was having a busy day. He indicated that the first fare he had was at the Howard Johnson hotel and when he arrived, there was no one there. The second fare he had was at the mall downtown and when he arrived, there was still no one there. He indicated that he has been working for 45 minutes and I was the first paying customer he has seen. The driver refused to take a credit card as payment. I said that I could pay with cash so long as he can provide a receipt and he filled out a receipt and I paid in cash. As I left his car

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he said, “Have a Merry Christmas with your family.” We traveled 13 minutes to cover a distance of 7.5km.


RIDE #3 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cabs Phone number used: 543-3333 Date: November 25, 2009 Time of call: 4:13 p.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _4 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __X_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __5 - 15_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was female. She was professional.




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a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? ___yes _X__no 6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip.

a. Origin of trip _Normanview Mall - Dollorama entrance Area Postal Code: _S4T 7S4____________________ b. Destination of trip__Sherwood Village Mall___________________ Area Postal Code: _S4X 2W9_____________________ c. Trip purpose____Taxi Secret Shopper_______________________ d. Cost _________$7.50_________________________ e. Gratuity _____1.50__________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was the same driver that I had in Ride #1. The driver was male wearing a navy jacket. He had short well groomed dark hair and he wore glasses. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He laughed a little, again, and said his machine was broken. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please

include your conversation during the ride, and the greeting and parting comments from the driver). I originally phoned Regina Cab to pick me up. The Premiere taxi pulled up 15 minutes after my call. It was the same driver that I had in Ride #1. He said hello, and said, so you are here now? I replied yes. He asked me if I worked for the malls. I indicated that I was checking some product displays in certain stores. He was very quiet. We handled the cash transaction with ease, since his credit card machine was still broken. I asked for a receipt, which he promptly filled out and gave to me. He said thank you and have a nice evening.

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RIDE #1 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cabs Phone number used: 306 543 3333 Date: November 26, 2009 Time of call: 3:01 pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: 6 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? ___x yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? 5 to 15 minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator answered the phone after letting it ring six times. The operator

who answered the phone did not have an especially friendly tone and demeanor when she answered. I requested a cab to the Shopper’s Drug Mart door at the Victoria Square Mall. She asked if I would be waiting outside, I said “Yes.” The operator repeated the location I requested and waited for me to verify that she was correct. I asked whether or not credit card is an acceptable form of payment. The operator advised me that Visa, Master Card and Cash are acceptable forms of payment. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ______14______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment

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f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? ___x yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? ___x yes ___no

6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip –Shopper’s Drug Mart at Victoria Square Mall Area Postal Code: ___S4N6E4__________________ b. Destination of trip- East Walmart_____________________ Area Postal Code: _S4V 3A6 _____________________ c. Trip purpose__________ d. Cost - $6.60__________________________________ e. Gratuity -$2.00_______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a gentleman with a dark complexion and thinning hair. He had a light build and under average height. He was wearing a patterned collared shirt which was charcoal grey in color. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The car was a white CAR MODEL AND NUMBER. The exterior was clean and the floor mats were a bit dusty. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said: “Yes, I can accept credit card.” Then, I handed him my Visa card. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please


The taxi driver simply asked me ,“Where do you need to go?” when I entered

the cab. He was very quiet, not especially friendly and did not seem to be

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interested in speaking to me. There was no conversation between asking me for my destination and the time the driver asked for payment. After I passed the driver the signed the credit card slip, he said “thank -you.” I asked his name to which he replied “NAME.” I said Thank you to NAME and left the car. The taxi ride was 2 km.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #3 1. Taxi company called: Regina Cabs Phone number used: 543-3333 Date: December 3, 2009 Time of call: 8:07 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _1 ring____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __X_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __5 - 15_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was female. She was friendly. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it



a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? __X_yes ___no

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Sherwood Village Mall - Co-op Gas Bar

Area Postal Code: __S4X 2W9___________________ b. Destination of trip___#106 - 15 Alport Crescent___________ Area Postal Code: ___S4R 8C6___________________ c. Trip purpose____Taxi Secret Shopper_______________________ d. Cost _________$15.50_________________________ e. Gratuity _____$2.00__________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a dark fleece jacket. He had medium well groomed dark hair. He was in this early 30's. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said that would be just fine. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When the driver arrived, he said hello and asked me where I would like to go. I

told him that I wanted to go to #106 - 105 Alport Crescent. He was a very quiet driver and did not initiate conversation. The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked for a receipt, which he promptly filled out and gave to me. He said thank you and told me to enjoy my day.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #1 1. Taxi company called: Premiere Taxi Phone number used: 525-9555 Date: December 16, 2009 Time of call: 7:00 a.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: __3 rings________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _x__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? 5-15__ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? Yes, the operator was friendly and helpful. The operator was female. She asked for a name. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it

has not arrived. If you have to do this, please relate response on following lines. The taxi did not arrive; I called back at 7:18 a.m. The phone rang 8 times before it was answered. The male operator indicated that the taxi should be there in 3-4 minutes and it will be Regina Cab rather than Premiere.

3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __26_______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? __X_yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no 6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip.

a. Origin of trip _Northgate Shopping Mall - 9th Ave. N. entrance___ Area Postal Code: __S4R 3C3__________________ b. Destination of trip___Pasqua Hospital Main Entrance Area Postal Code: ____S4T 1A7__________________ c. Trip purpose_____Taxi Secret Shopper______________________ d. Cost __$12.50________________________________ e. Gratuity __$2.00_____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a dark jacket. He had short shaved hair; age +30's. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? When I asked if I could pay with a credit card, the driver said, “Sure, I'll just fill it out for you.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail

When the driver arrived, he asked if I was NAME. I replied yes, and got into the taxi. The driver said hello and asked where I would like to go. I indicated that I would like to go to the Pasqua Hospital Main Entrance. The driver was very quiet. No conversation. The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked if I could have a receipt, and he indicated that yes, I could. He filled out the receipt and gave it to me. I thanked him. He said thank you and told me to have a good day.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #2 1. Taxi company called: Premier Cabs* Phone number used: 306 525 9555 Date: December 11, 2009 Time of call: 3:30 pm *Premier Cabs was the cab company who was called. A wheelchair accessible cab branded “Regina Cabs” arrived instead of a Lincoln Town Car branded as a Premier Cab.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _6 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? _______10 to 20_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator sounded stressed and rushed. I was asked for my name and

location. The operator told me the estimated wait time after I asked. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________23_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � � � x � � b. answering their phone � � � x � � c. courtesy of drivers � � x � � � d. appearance of drivers � x � � � � e. willingness to pick up � x � � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints x � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � � � x � � h. willing to accept credit cards � x � � � �

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5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you. a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? __x_yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? __x_yes ___no

6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip __953 Victoria Avenue_______________________ Area Postal Code: __S4N0R1___________________ b. Destination of trip__2030 Prince of Wales Drive___________________ Area Postal Code: ___S4V3A6___________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost __13.10________________________________ e. Gratuity __3.00_____________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a man in his mid-to late thirties. He was taller than average and had a medium build. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He wore a black winter jacket with jeans. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi needed to be cleaned on the outside, it was moderately dirty. The taxi was clean on the inside. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said nothing, he took the card from my outstretched hand and swiped in through his machine and asked me to provide a total. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail I entered the cab and the driver was quiet for a few seconds as I set my bag down and put my seatbelt on. He greeted me by saying, “Hi there. Where do you want me to take you?” After we were heading towards our destination, I asked the driver if he was ready for the holidays. He started telling me about his family and the gifts his kids were getting for Christmas. Once we arrived at our destination and settled the bill, the driver said, “Thanks and Merry Christmas!” as I left the car. We traveled 6.5 km in 10 minutes.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #4 1. Taxi company called: Premier Cabs* Phone number used: 306 525 9555 Date: December 11th 2009 Time of call: 4:28 pm *Premier Cabs was the cab company who was called. A wheelchair accessible cab branded “Regina Cabs” arrived instead of a Lincoln Town Car branded as a Premier Cab.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: __2 minutes 9 seconds on hold____________

b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________5 to 20_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly?



3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __________12__ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � x � � � � b. answering their phone � � x � � � c. courtesy of drivers � � x � � � d. appearance of drivers � � x � � � e. willingness to pick up � x � � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints x � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � x � � � � h. willing to accept credit cards � � � � x � 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip __2105 E Victoria Avenue_______________________ Area Postal Code: __S4N7P3___________________ b. Destination of trip__3130 Woodhams Drive___________________ Area Postal Code: __S4V2P9____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _6.50_________________________________ e. Gratuity _3.50______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was in his late thirties to early forties, has thinning medium brown hair, a medium to light build, average in height, wearing glasses with plastic frames and a green jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? While the car was only slightly dirty on the outside, it was clean on the inside and the condition of the upholstery suggests that it had been professionally cleaned recently. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? When I tried to pay with my credit card, the driver said that he would prefer cash in a polite tone of voice. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail Upon entering the van, the driver said, “Hello. Where are we going today?” His tone of voice was cheerful. When we were headed in the right direction, I asked if he was having a busy day. The answer was yes, he was having a busy day and he largely attributed it to the cold weather, the holiday season and road conditions. After I paid the driver he said, “Thanks. Bye for now.” We traveled for 6 minutes and covered a distance of 4km on this trip.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #1 1. Taxi company called: Premiere Taxi Phone number used: 525-9555 Date: November 25, 2009 Time of call: 3:00 p.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: __3 rings________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _x__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __15_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? Yes, the operator was friendly and helpful. She answered all my questions professionally. She asked for a name when the taxi arrives. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __8__________ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.

a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? __X_yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? ___yes __X_no He said that the machine was broken, so I had to pay in cash.

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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Pasqua Hospital_________

Area Postal Code: __S4T 1A7___________________ b. Destination of trip___Northgate Shopping Centre - Safeway entrance Area Postal Code: _S4R 8C5_____________________ c. Trip purpose_____Taxi Secret Shopper______________________ d. Cost __$11.60________________________________ e. Gratuity __$2.50_____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a navy jacket. He had short well groomed dark hair and he wore glasses. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver sort of laughed a little and then said that his machine was broken. Would I mind paying in cash? The transaction was handled smoothly. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please include your conversation during the ride, and the greeting and parting comments from the driver). When I opened the door, the driver asked if I was NAME. I replied yes, and got into the taxi. The driver said hello and asked where I would like to go. I indicated that I would like to go to the Safeway entrance at the Northgate Mall. The driver was very quiet throughout the trip. He was very courteous and polite. His credit card machine was broken, so I paid in cash. The transaction was handled with ease. I asked if I could have a receipt, and he indicated that yes, I could. He filled out the receipt and gave it to me. I thanked him. He said thank you and told me to enjoy my evening.

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #5 1. Taxi company called: Premiere Taxi Phone number used: 525-9555 Date: November 25, 2009 Time of call: 5:05 p.m.

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _1 ring_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __X_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __5-15_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was female. She was friendly and professional. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it



a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no 6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip.

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a. Origin of trip _Northgate Shopping Centre - Zeller's entrance Area Postal Code: __S4R 8C5___________________ b. Destination of trip___Pasqua Hospital - Main Entrance Area Postal Code: _S4T 1A7_____________________ c. Trip purpose___Taxi Secret Shopper________________________ d. Cost ____$12.30______________________________ e. Gratuity ___$2.50____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male with short dark hair and he wore glasses. He was wearing a black cloth jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said, that would be fine. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please


The driver said hello to me when I entered the cab. He asked me where I would like to go. I indicated that I would like to go to the Main Entrance of the Pasqua Hospital. He was very quiet and did not speak during the ride. There was nice, quiet music playing. The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked him for a receipt and he said, okay, just one minute. He handed me my receipt and said, “Thank you. Enjoy your evening.”

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #3 1. Taxi company called: Premier Cabs Phone number used: 306 525 9555 Date: November 26, 2009 Time of call: 3:43pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: 1 ring_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________15_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator who answered the phone had a friendly tone and demeanor. I

requested a cab to the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Center. She estimated my wait at fifteen minutes then the operator asked me where I wanted to be dropped off. I told her that I am planning dropped off near the University of Regina. I asked whether or not credit card was an acceptable form of payment, she said that Visa, Master Card and Cash are acceptable payment methods.



3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________15_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � � X � � � b. answering their phone � X � � � � c. courtesy of drivers � X � � � � d. appearance of drivers � X � � � � e. willingness to pick up � X � � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints X � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � � X � � �

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h. willing to accept credit cards � X � � � � 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.


6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Sandra Schmirler Leisure Center_______________ Area Postal Code: _S4V2P9____________________ b. Destination of trip_Stone’s Throw Coffee House on Kramer Blvd.__ Area Postal Code: _S4S 5W4_____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _$16.90_________________________________ e. Gratuity _$4.00______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The taxi driver was a Caucasian gentleman who is average height and a medium build. He was wearing a black knitted hat with a jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi #NUBMER was clean on the outside and the floor area was dusty on the inside. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver said, “I can accept Visa or Master Card.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please


He greeted me by saying “Hi. Where are we going today?” He had a friendly demeanor and told me that he enjoys his job and we had a brief conversation. The cab was wheelchair accessible and the lift was rattling during the ride. The taxi ride was 6 km. When I left NAME said, “Thanks.”

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Taxi Secret Shopper Survey Form RIDE #5 1. Taxi company called: Premier Cabs Phone number used: 306 924 8735 Date: November 26, 2009 Time of call: 4:43 pm

a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _2 rings_____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __x_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? ________ 5 to 15_ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly?



3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ___________0_ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival � X � � � � b. answering their phone � X � � � � c. courtesy of drivers � � X � � � d. appearance of drivers � � X � � � e. willingness to pick up � X � � � � at your establishment f. handling of complaints X � � � � � g. appearance of vehicles � X � � � � h. willing to accept credit cards � X � � � � 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.



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a. Origin of trip __Southland Mall_______________________ Area Postal Code: __S4S 6H4___________________ b. Destination of trip__Victoria Square Mall___________________ Area Postal Code: _ S4N6E4_____________________ c. Trip purpose___________________________ d. Cost _$14.80_________________________________ e. Gratuity _$4.00______________________________

Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? NAME, the gentleman taxi driver was a senior citizen. He had a husky build and his height was below average. His hair was white and complexion was fair. He did not require glasses to drive the car but he required glasses to fill out the credit card receipt. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? Taxi #NUMBER was clean. I can make no suggestions for improvement. The taxi was clean inside and out. No improvements were necessary to the cleanliness of the vehicle. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? The driver responded by saying “I can accept Master Card and Visa.” 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please


I was pleasantly surprised to see a taxi waiting at the door. For the first time today, I had a car waiting for me. Upon entering the taxi, the driver said “Hi. Where can I take you?” I told him that I wanted to go to the Victoria Square Mall. He jokingly replied: “That’s on the other side of the world!” The driver was pleasant to talk to and had a friendly demeanor. Even though it was getting dark I felt at ease with this driver. When I left the car, he politely said ,“Thank you.”

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a. Time for operator to answer the phone: __4 rings________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? _x__ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? 10-15__ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? Yes, the operator was friendly and helpful. The operator was male. He asked for a name. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it


3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: __11_______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X 5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you.


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6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip. a. Origin of trip _Bushwakker Brewing_________

Area Postal Code: __S4R 1H3__________________ b. Destination of trip___Northgate Shopping Centre - Shopper's Drug Mart entrance Area Postal Code: ___S4R 3C3___________________ c. Trip purpose_____Taxi Secret Shopper______________________ d. Cost __$9.00________________________________ e. Gratuity __$2.00_____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male wearing a dark blue jacket. He had short grayish hair; age +50's. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? When I asked if I could pay with a credit card, the driver said, sure. I'll just fill it out for you. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail When the driver arrived, he asked if I was NAME. I replied yes, and got into the taxi. The driver said hello and asked where I would like to go. I indicated that I would like to go to the Northgate Shopping Mall, at the Shopper's Drug Mart entrance. The driver was very courteous. We chatted about the weather and tire pressure in tires. The credit card transaction was handled with ease. I asked if I could have a receipt, and he indicated that yes, I could. He filled out the receipt and gave it to me. I thanked him. He also waited while I checked the mall doors to see if I was able to enter the mall at this hour of the day. I thanked him for doing this. He said, “Thank you and have a good day.”

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a. Time for operator to answer the phone: _6 rings____________ b. Were you scheduled for a taxi trip? __X_ yes ___ no c. If yes, time estimate for cab to arrive? __10_______ minutes Q: Please describe the telephone call. Was the operator friendly? The operator was female. She was friendly and professional. She sounded very busy. 2. Note: If taxi does not arrive within stated time, please call back and ask why it

has not arrived. If you have to do this, please relate response on following lines. I had to recall the taxi company at 9:18 a.m. because my cab had not arrived. The operator was female and apologized for the delay. She asked me how long I had been waiting and mentioned that the service was very busy this morning. She told me that a cab would be along shortly.

3. Time it took for the taxi to arrive: ____26______ minutes 4. How would you rate the taxi service you received?(Please replace oval with X) 5 4 3 2 1 N/A Very Good OK Poor Very Good Poor a. promptness of arrival X b. answering their phone X c. courtesy of drivers X d. appearance of drivers X e. willingness to pick up X at your establishment f. handling of complaints X g. appearance of vehicles X h. willing to accept credit cards X

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5. Please ask the driver to fill out a receipt for you. a. Did the driver fill out the receipt completely? _X__yes ___no

b. Did the driver accept credit cards? _X__yes ___no 6. Please record your cost for this taxi trip.

a. Origin of trip _Northgate Shopping Centre - North Mall Entrance Area Postal Code: __S4R 3C4___________________ b. Destination of trip___Bushwakker Brewing Area Postal Code: _S4R 1H3_____________________ c. Trip purpose___Taxi Secret Shopper________________________ d. Cost ____$10.20______________________________ e. Gratuity ___$2.00____________________________ Q: What was the description of the driver and what clothing was he/she wearing? The driver was male, +50's, with medium length grey hair. He was wearing a grey and blue winter jacket. Q: Was the taxi clean? Were there any improvements that could be made to the cleanliness of the vehicle? The taxi was very clean. Q: What did the driver say when you asked to pay with a credit card? He said, that would be fine. 7. Overall, how was the service? Please describe your trip in detail (Please


The driver said hello to me when I entered the cab. He asked me where I would like to go. I told him that I would like to go to Bushwakkers. He asked me if I worked there. I indicated that no, I was picking up a vehicle that my son had left there the night before while he was at his Christmas celebration from work. We discussed the weather and drinking while driving. He was very friendly and chatty. He made sure that I found the vehicle and pulled up behind it. He accepted my credit card and handled the credit card transaction with ease. I asked him for a cab receipt for my son's boss who was reimbursing his employees for not drinking and driving. He gave me a receipt. He wished me a good day, and said good bye.

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Appendix D Analysis by Actual Data

Data analysis of taxi customer pickup data can provide insight into several areas, such as

the total demand for taxicab service, demand concentration, wait times, trip durations, and the

impact of geography and demographics on the service levels. An understanding of these factors

helps to determine whether a city or taxi company needs more or fewer vehicles on the road.

Depending on the level and type of data available, one can aggregate the data yearly,

seasonally, monthly, daily, and even hourly for each postal code within a service area. The

service levels can then be displayed on map to show the contrast between postal codes. In

addition, this data can be displayed on a map as a function of average income, population,

education level, and other desired demographics.

While many taxi companies use zones in place of postal codes, using customized

geocoding software allows the analyst to use either a street address with city/state or

latitude/longitude data to find the postal code for each trip at approximately 90% accuracy. Then

one can aggregate data by postal code and then visually represented on maps.

As taxi companies continue to adopt new technologies, opportunities exist to better

understand the consumer demand and service levels for both individual companies and

regulatory agencies. The following examples show the benefits of using taxi data to understand

the performance of a single taxi company or even the entire industry within a city.

While some companies utilize computerized dispatch software, other companies still

have drivers’ log trips on paper. Analysis can be conducted using data from either method. The

electronic data saves significant time and allows analysis to include a larger data set. However,

data can be input into a computer from manual records as well. Figure 1 shows one example of a

manual paper record of all trips undertaken. The individual pickup records have been blanked

out for privacy reasons.

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Figure 1 – Example of a manual trip record of all trips

Vehicle Use Efficiency

Charts 1 and 2 show distributions of the average number of dispatched trips completed by

drivers and vehicles respectively in a single day or shift. Often taxi companies will provide data

on dispatched trips but are hesitant to let drivers and others know that their newer taxi

technologies also retain all trips undertaken - whether dispatched, picked up at a stand or even a

flat fare trip when the taxi meter is utilized to provide a receipt, as in the case of most U.S. cities.

The first chart clearly demonstrates that, in this company, the mean number of dispatched trips in

a shift is eight to ten trips. As the second chart illustrates, the mean dispatched trips per vehicle

matches that of the drivers. For companies where drivers do not own their vehicle, this would not

be an efficient use of the asset.

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Histogram of Trips Completed by Count of Drivers

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Chart 1 – Distribution of the average number of daily dispatched trips completed per driver

Histogram of Trips by Count of Vehicles

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Chart 2 – Distribution of the average number of daily dispatched trips completed per

vehicle

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Call Completion Analysis The following table shows an important component of a successful taxicab company.

Trip completion is the percentage of all calls that actually resulted in a paid passenger. This can

show if a company has an unusually large number of calls being lost possible due to long wait

times or taxi drivers not responding to the offer of a fare. This could indicate unmet demand or

the unwillingness of some drivers to accept a fare to areas where they do not want to go. The

following Table 1 is an example of showing call completion rates from a presentation slide.

Average Trips per Driver in a Day 9.2Average Trips per Car in a Day 9.1Average Days Worked per Driver 19.2Average Calls per Day 2052.4Average Reported Trips per Day (87.6 % Trip Completion) 1797.9

Table 1 – Summary of data

Completed Dispatch Call Report• 86,443 – Calls

• 12,442 – Either Cancellation or No Show

• Call Completion Rate = 85.6%

Image 2 – A presentation slide summarizing a period of data

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Trip and Wait Durations

Charts 3A and 3B are good examples of how data can determine whether the company is

adequately meeting the needs of passengers and whether more taxi permits may be needed.

Chart 3A shows a company where approximately 90% of customers experience a wait time of 15

minutes or less. Chart 3B shows another company where only 60% of customers wait 15 minutes

or less. In addition, some passengers waited more than an hour.

Chart 3A – Distribution of the wait times

Chart 3B – Shows a distribution of wait times with a larger range of wait times and more permits

may be required.

Distribution of Wait Times

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Chart 4 shows the duration of passenger trips. In this case, approximately 60% of the

trips were 5 minutes or less. While this may seem extremely unusual, this was a smaller city with

a high usage of taxicabs and an unusually efficient taxi dispatch operation.

Chart 4 – Distribution of the duration of trip in minutes Map 1 illustrates zipcodes that higher average wait times. In this map, clearly there is an

apparent correlation between higher wait times and geographic location.

Map 1 – Average wait times per zip code

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Concentration of Pickups Maps 2 and 3 show the concentration of trips by zip code for two different companies. Each

zip code is assigned a percentage based on the percent of the total trips that originated from that

zip code. As can be seen, these two companies have significantly different primary service areas.

Map 2 – Company A trips

Map 3 – Company B trips

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Demographic Effect

The last three maps show how a high number of incomplete trips might or might not

be related to demographics. The first map (Map 4) shows three groups of rejections. The second

map (Map 5) displays the 2000 average household income by zip code. The last map (Map 6)

presents the population as projected for 2005. A comparison shows there is a potential

relationship between the high rejections and lower income areas. It also shows that there is not

necessarily direct relationship between high rejections and population concentration.

Map 4 – Number of rejections per zip code.

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Map 5 – Average household income in 2000

Map 6 – Projected 2005 population

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Appendix E: Modern Taxi Dispatch Systems

Computerized dispatching systems that automatically route the request for cab service to

the closest vehicle as identified by the vehicle’s on board GPS device (or to the taxicab that has

been in that geographic zone the longest and by operational rule is to receive the next offer for

service) are available from many of the current providers of modern taxi dispatch systems.

Management of the individual taxi operator has also been improved by these modern taxi

dispatch systems. By continuous tracking of the routes selected by the driver, the computer can

red flag any driver that takes a longer route. Some systems will automatically provide turn by

turn directions for the driver and flag any trip which is more than one percent (1%) out of

specified route. Such electronic records are extremely invaluable in settling any claim by a

taxicab user that the driver took the long way thereby inflating the fare.

Without the connectivity of radio/electronic dispatch, a large percentage of taxi

operations in North America take place without the benefit of these modern taxi dispatch

technologies utilized in the taxi industry to improve efficiency and productivity. These are

technologies which have helped other taxi operations to maintain and even regain passenger

traffic market share once lost to other competitors.

Foregone is the ability to use GPS technology for closest cab dispatching, electronic

processing of credit cards, shortest route directions, immediate dispatch of police to the exact

location in the event of an incident, dispatching of accessible vehicles when required, electronic

payment of corporate or voucher business, elimination of manual record keeping, and any hope

of lowering costs and fares through more efficient operations. Without these new taxi

technologies, offered by full service taxi operators selected North American and European cities,

taxi operations will forever be an increasing cost industry, perpetually requesting rate increases

due to inefficient and largely ineffective operations.

Given the lack of technology currently, taxi operators will be ill-prepared to face

competitive challenges and rates will continue to escalate making alternative forms of

transportation such as sedans, vans, limos, and even car rentals, more economical to use.

This would require investment in newer available technologies but not an unreasonable

investment considering the benefits derived. Additionally, the costs of these new technologies

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have dropped dramatically within the past few years while the operational features and reporting

capacities have greatly expanded.

For an investment estimated to be between $1000 to $1500 per vehicle, taxis could have

electronic meters, GPS tracking and verbal directional driving information, computer

dispatching, instant credit card swipe, electronic fare deposits and toll road/airport/seaport fee

payments. Taxi drivers and users could have GPS shortest route to destination service, improved

personal safety, greater payment flexibility, and accurate productivity per taxi information.

Taxi firms and their drivers could choose to adopt a “pay as you go” method to acquire

modern taxi technology; some of these firms offer total packages costing between $50 to $100

per month per vehicle. While this approach may be more expensive over a five-year period, the

advantages are that little upfront capital is required since the equipment is leased from the

technology firm. Another advantage is that the equipment and software to support such an

integrated taxi management system is maintained and upgraded by the technology firm.

An added benefit of such technology would be to make the task of taxi regulation much

more informed and relatively easier. Many of these newer technologies provide for electronic

capturing of all taxi meter activity so that actual trips dispatched per hour per vehicle, trips per

day per vehicle (including personals) as well as geographic area served. Service times and

availability of services information would also be available.

There are several firms which offer these types of taxi technologies. A representative

sample can be found at the following sites:

www.mobile-knowledge.com

www.digital-dispatch.com

www.TranWare.com

Several of these modern taxi dispatch technologies utilized in North America are

discussed more fully below.

Tran Ware

TranWare Products are divided into two product lines: Enterprise and Desktop.

TranWare Enterprise Management Modules are designed for taxi, paratransit (non-emergency

medical), shuttle and other localized ground transportation fleets. They are complete,

configurable end-to-end management applications that can help you automate your Order Entry,

Scheduling, Dispatching, Driver Cashiering, Customer Billing and Vehicle Maintenance

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operations. Please review the capabilities of the various modules below and contact us for

additional information.

All TranWare Enterprise Systems feature:

Sophisticated Multi-User Network Design

Designed to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

User Programmable Event Logging

Integrated Internal E-Mail System

Complete Staff Security and Programmable Staff Authorization

Multiple Fleet Support

Customizable Reports

Custom Interfacing Capabilities

All systems are designed for Microsoft® Windows® 98, 2000 Professional, XP Professional and

Vista Business. Windows 2000/2003 Server, Windows peer-to-peer and Novell® Netware®

network systems supported. Review detailed system requirements HERE.

You can view a brief MS PowerPoint® presentation HERE. (approx 1.5MB)

Taxi, Courier, Shuttle & Paratransit Scheduling & Dispatch

Driver Cashiering & Shifting

Account Billing & Receivables

Vehicle Fleet Maintenance

Mobile Data and AVL Systems

Optional Modules and Accessories

For the Limousine and Black Car (premium sedan) Industries, we offer TranWare

Desktop featuring WinLimo(tm). The WinLimo product line is fully represented in detail at

WinLimo.COM.

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Mobile Knowledge

Taxi, Black Car and Limousine

Mobile Knowledge provides turn-key enterprise-

wide systems using leading-edge technology to solve the

needs of the taxi, black car and limousine industry,

improving service through dispatch automation and the

speedier exchange of information between drivers and the dispatch center.

The most advanced solution supplier in the transport industry, we understand that you

must provide the best possible service to both your passengers and drivers. Only through the

proper integration of many and varied technologies, can a taxi system increase the efficiency,

reduce costs and improve on passenger and driver satisfaction. Mobile Knowledge offers a

unique set of products, skills and services which can help to achieve the goals of livery

companies.

With a Mobile Knowledge Solution, the variety and timeliness of service to your

passengers are improved. This, in turn, brings in more business making drivers happy while

providing them with a safer working environment.

Mobile Knowledge Hardware

Series 2000 Mobile Data Terminal The Series 2000 MDT allows drivers to input data fast and get back to their main priority

- driving the vehicle and getting customers safely to their destinations.

The Series 2000 MDT is an integral part of the Mobile Knowledge family of products

and services. Mobile Knowledge is the world leader in GPS-based vehicle location tracking and

telematics systems and allows fleet and vehicle owners to increase mobile worker productivity

and improve asset utilization.

Series 2008 Mobile Data Terminal

The Series 2008 MDT is the most advanced MDT available on the market. Equipped

with a 50 channel GPS receiver and 2 USB ports, drivers can download their trip information to

analyze on their home PC with Mobile Knowledge's FarePlay software.

The Series 2008 MDT is an integral part of the Mobile Knowledge family of products

and services. Mobile Knowledge is the world leader in GPS-based vehicle location tracking and

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telematics systems and allows fleet and vehicle owners to increase mobile worker productivity

and improve asset utilization.


The Series 9006 MDT represents the third generation of rugged, purpose-built, in-vehicle

Windows CE terminal available from Mobile Knowledge. The Series 9000 is built upon industry

standard components including an Intel XScale processor, and harnesses the power of Microsoft

Windows CE.

The Series 9006 MDT features a 5.75" resistive touch screen display, 64 Mb of SDRAM,

64 MB Flash Memory, Integrated Magnetic Card Swipe, Internal 16 Ch., GPS Receiver, Internal

Speaker and Microphone, USB, Compact Flash and Secure Digital Card Ports, packaged in a

sleek and contoured case.


The Series 9008 MDT represents the evolution of our Series 9000 Mobile Data Terminal.

Building on the successful Series 9006 MDT, the increased screen size of the Series 9008 has

proven very practical for companies integrating mapping with their dispatch operations and

interest has come from black car service providers as well as forward looking taxi service

operators.

The Series 9008 MDT features an 8" resistive touch screen display, 64 Mb of SDRAM,

64 MB Flash Memory, Integrated Magnetic Card Swipe, Internal 16 Ch., GPS Receiver, Internal

Speakers and Microphone, USB, Compact Flash and Secure Digital Card Ports, packaged in a

sleek and contoured case.

BSU II

The BSU II is designed to interface state-of-the art dispatch systems to your Base Radio.

It is designed for compatibility with a wide variety of mobile applications including taxi,

limousine, shuttle, courier and transit.

The BSU II is designed for mobile applications that traditionally use thin data with a high

transaction rate. The BSU II outputs message packets over the radio link using the "Slotted

Aloha" synchronous data protocol. The communications system operates in a full duplex mode,

with the base unit transmitting a packet every 125 milliseconds. The system provides for error

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detection, single bit error correction and packet merging between the vehicles and the base unit.

Packets which cannot be corrected are identified and retransmitted.

Mobile PIM (Passenger Information Monitor)

The Mobile Knowledge Mobile PIM represents the third generation of rugged, purpose-

built, in-vehicle Windows CE terminal available from Mobile Knowledge. The Mobile PIM is

based upon industry standard components including an Intel XScale processor, and harnesses the

power of Microsoft Windows CE.NET.

The Mobile PIM mobile data terminal (MDT) features advanced processing power and

I/O capabilities unparalleled in the industry today. Supported by an Intel XScale processor and a

large, easy-to-read color touch display, the Mobile PIM MDT is equipped to handle your

advanced mobile data applications today and well into the future.

Digital Dispatch Systems (DDS)

DDS is one of the world’s leading taxi dispatch hardware and software companies. It

offers a wide variety of products for the taxi industry. As stated in its promotional literature,

“Digital Dispatch’s turnkey enterprise wireless fleet management solution is designed for taxi fleets ranging in fleet size of a hundred to several thousand. This solution includes the PathFinder™, our feature-rich and highly configurable software application optimized for large taxi fleets with functionalities like dynamic and configurable time/area parameters to adjust a comprehensive set of dispatch algorithms; redundant hot standby servers with no single point of hardware or software failure; multi-fleet support; private mobile radio and GPRS roaming; and unlimited scalability. Some of the largest taxi companies in North America, Europe and South East Asia have relied on Digital Dispatch for years.”

PathFinder is Digital Dispatch’s automated dispatch system for taxi operators of 100 or

more vehicles that wish to speed up their order taking and significantly reduce both the workload

of taxi call takers and dispatchers, and the number of orders that must be processed by a human

telephone operator. Its Automated Calltaker system for example, allows repeat customers which

are already in the taxi company’s data base to create their own orders utilizing touchtone phones.

This is especially helpful for busy receptionists, hotel, and restaurant personnel that have little

time to wait on the phone to speak to a call taker and order a cab. Often several cabs may be

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needed and the Automatic Calltaker can handle these multiple cab orders just as easily as a single

cab order.

PathFinder utilizes a number of hardware and software systems to tie together the mobile radio,

GPS, taxi meter, scanner, and printing capabilities within the taxi, electronically to its base

PathFinder Servers which can process information from call takers to/from taxis instantly.

DDS software utilizes a number of its Mobile Data Terminals or MDTs with its

PathFinder system. These MDTs permit the taxi driver to communicate with their system to

receive trip details, process credit cards, and to both speak and text their supervisor should any

problems arise.

Similar to other sophisticated taxi dispatch systems that utilize GPS, PathFinder software

groups the taxi service area into areas known as taxi zones. These zones are then utilized to keep

track of all taxis on a real time basis to determine which taxis are available for service.

Depending upon the service rules of the taxi operator, if the software sees that a particular taxi is

the closest to the request for service, it sends an electronic message to the screen in that taxi for

the driver to either accept or reject. Usually the driver has but a short time to accept or the

system automatically shifts the request to the next closest taxi. Alternatively, the system may be

set to identify which taxicab has been in zone the longest time awaiting a trip and offer the trip to

this taxicab driver first. Finally, there can be a combination of both systems which take into

account the distance from the pickup and the time a cab has been waiting by having the computer

add a penalty factor to distance from pickup. If there is no taxi in that zone under either rule,

then adjacent zones are queried to determine where the closest taxi is or the one that has been

waiting the longest.

Another aspect of PathFinder that greatly speeds up the process of call acceptance and

increased customer service is the ability of their Callout software to notify the customer about

their specific taxi number and, depending upon software setting, alert the customer of the

approximate time their cab will arrive for pickup. PathFinder can also provide turn by turn

directions to the driver should he/she need directions. It may also be programmed to

automatically phone the user with a recorded message that the taxi is arriving and will be

available with a prescribed number of minutes thereby minimizing wait time for the taxi and

eliminating doubts by the customer that a cab has been dispatched for them.

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PathFinder’s electronic means of transferring data also prevents the poaching of taxi trips

by making it extremely difficult for other drivers to obtain the pick up data. Also the customer

is more likely to take a specific cab number which has been told to them rather than one who

may be from another company or even a different numbered cab from the same company. This

electronic screen may also be viewed as a safety device when compared with the use of a hand

held mic or telephone. Mobile Data Terminals today display easy to read data on much larger

screens than any cell or handheld phone so information is communicated with significantly less

distraction for the driver. In some states, California for example, there are statewide laws which

forbid the use of handheld cell phones while driving.

PathFinder’s main menu offers a variety of preprogrammed reports that can greatly assist

the taxi company management in knowing more about their fleet operations and hence,

managing much more effectively. Being tied into DDS’s electronic taxi “smart meter”, having

GPS, and an electronic record of all trips allows taxi company management to know significantly

more about their operations. Taxi management today has the ability to obtain all fare information

from all cars. They can spot drivers that habitually take a longer route. They can determine

which drivers are working their radios, sitting at the airport, or primarily serving only one or a

few areas of the city.

Good taxi operators also find the OverBooking Editor feature of PathFinder helpful in

managing customer service levels. This feature allows the taxi system manager to set the

maximum number of trips their company may accept or schedule in a particular zone, area or

system wide. Obviously this permits the taxi company from bookings they have little or no

chance of being able to carry out.

PathFinder also provides taxi system managers with the general ability to manage the

activities of their drivers with respect to time permitted to drive, record keeping of driver

accounts, settling driver credit card accounts, and keeping tack of driver activity and capacity of

their system. The system manager can run reports which indicated the trips per day, week, and

month; by driver, by zone; by hour and day, etc., or just about anyway one wants in order to

obtain summary statistics that may help in running the operation, setting driver lease rates,

providing accurate detailed trip and financial data to third party payers, or reporting activities to

regulatory authorities.

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PathFinder permits management to specifically oversee the individual actions of their

drivers and customer service on a daily basis. By utilization of GPS mileage, call takers can

more accurately inform customers of the approximate cost of their taxi trip. The computer also

keeps track of routes taken and may be set to flag trips that are considered out of route trips by

individual drivers. Depending upon the parameters set by the system management, the computer

stores this information for a period of time so issues of lost articles can be traced back to the

individual cab and driver.

Driver actions can also be electronically monitored by having the computer flag quick

meter turn on and off for a specific pickup, which might indicate that the drivers to run service

“off the meter”. Alternatively, the computer can spot circumstances where a meter is left on for

a preprogrammed trip. Finally, PathFinder storage of all trips for a period of time can assist

police officials if a crime has been committed and a taxi was utilized as a means of leaving the

area. Records of individuals leaving a residence or restaurant/bar and their destinations for

example are a matter of record for PathFinder.

Finally, PathFinder software modules permit taxi companies that have a need to share

ride or group ride individuals to do so with PathFinder designing the optimum route, fare

calculations, invoicing of client(s), and payment of driver if desired. This system is also capable

of doing the same for additional transportation offerings a taxi operator may want to have as

additional business units. Sedan, limousine, bus, or shared ride van operations to name only a

few of the different service options PathFinder and other modern full service taxi dispatch

systems are capable of handling.

For smaller taxi firms that may operate in smaller communities or those not able to afford

the complete suite of hardware and software offered by DDS’s PathFinder system for larger

users, DDS offers internet bookings through it TaxiBook software.

According to their promotional literature, DDS TaxiBook is:

“Designed for taxi companies whose economies of scale do not justify the use of a full scale the enterprise solution, Digital Dispatch’s internet taxi dispatch service, TaxiBook™, is offered as a bundled package. This offering is a subscription-based monthly service that addresses the needs of smaller taxi companies which comprises a substantial yet relatively under-served market. TaxiBook™ service includes dispatch functionalities, airtime for data communications, in-vehicle mobile data computer, automatic vehicle location and electronic payment. Taxi companies can access the system’s server computers

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from anywhere in the world using a PC with broadband Internet connection and a web browser.” Using this “pay as you go” system provides many of the same capabilities of their more

sophisticated system described above but offers the smaller taxi operator the opportunity to pay

for the system as it is utilized.

Taxi fare payment systems are also changing as a result of these advanced hardware and

software solutions are being added by taxi companies. Many taxi users today want to pay for

their transportation service by credit card and receive receipts for reimbursement by their

companies or for their personal business expenditures records. Credit card acceptance has been

gaining in popularity and many North American taxi regulators are adding acceptance of these

cards as a mandatory service offering of the taxi firms they regulate.

However, accepting credit cards and processing them quickly and efficiently are

completely different things. If a taxi firm is small and is using a completely outdated open

channel radio system, or an independent owner-driver is using his cell phone as his dispatch

system, having a taxi driver read out your personal credit card number and pin over an open

radio channel or a cell phone, as was the practice by some when credit cards were mandated, is

not a pleasant passenger experience. Even the current practice by many North American taxi

companies of using the old “knuckle buster” portable credit card slide machine, is tedious and

time consuming when the driver must dial or phone in your credit card over a somewhat private

channel.

Here again, taxi technology, far ahead of standard practice in North America, is coming

to the rescue with devices that provide quick electronic checking of credit cards and also print a

receipt for the taxi fare. DDS’s SmartPay is one of these systems.

“DDS through it use of DDS SmartPay offers all users of their systems to process customer credit and debit cards for trips using Interac Debit Cards. This mobile card swipe terminal offers both quick processing of accurate credit card information, credit availability, and printing of customer receipt. This system can also summarize credit/debit card information and send invoices to commercial or social service users of the taxicab system.” And, firms like DDS do not intend to stop advancing their payment options for

the customer. As depicted in the firm’s latest promotional release,

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“A current addition to this (SmartPay) capability is the extension of its use to mobile media usage or cell phone payment for taxi services. Cell phone users can pay their taxi fare online and receive both an electronic and immediate paper receipt if desired.” Thus, the businessman or woman who travels a great deal will no longer have to

keep detailed receipts and business records of taxi, sedan, towncar, or limousine

expenses. They will be electronically transmitted and if he or she has personal software,

grouped with regular business expenses.

Documents

Regina Taxi Study- final aug13 · A taxicab service should reflect the community’s desire for clean, efficient, and responsible public transportation service, one which meets the